Stuff and Nonsense
by MadameJelly
Summary: Alice returns to London once more, embarking on a trip to China. Wonderland has become a distant memory until she finds a familiar item tucked away in her things and a strange, fiery-haired ship captain. Wonderland is in turmoil once more. 2010 cont'd
1. Chapter 1

It has been years since I've submitted something here. Perhaps it's been five? In any case, I wanted to become an active member again. Upon watching Burton's _Alice in Wonderland_, I was compelled to write something for it, since the end was potentially up in the air. I do hope I can get back into the swing of things quite nicely and that you enjoy this opening chapter. Dialogue will follow, I'm certain.

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Curious and curiouser. That is what she had been saying to herself these past months. There she stood in her business partner's trading ship, headed straight for China. Britain now had its own stake in that eastern nation, abundant with silk, spice, tea, and other fineries. The salty air made her anxious and she had yet to acquire sea legs. She grasped the ship's railing for support.

This now was the world that was quite strange. How odd it was that the duke's mother upon her return seemed but a taller version of the Red Queen. Moreover, the twins and their demeanor were reminiscent of the Tweedles. English society was a Wonderland within itself, she concluded. This one, however, she grew less and less fond of.

She remembered packing the night before for this journey. Oh, she had been excited indeed. Hadn't it been her father's dream to do the very thing she would embark upon? She thought fondly on his magnificent ideas, how he would spout them out ceaselessly, each more wild and marvelous than the last. Others thought his plans nothing but a dreamer's mad fantasies, but she had drunk them in as a young girl. Her mother chose to forget them completely now.

She put in plenty of nice, functional clothes. How cross her mother would be to find she brought not a single pair of stockings or a corset! She giggled while putting her things in the case. Then she found her old blue dress.

It seemed fresh enough, with its pretty white lace. Her fingers brushed across the fabric with a sort of tenderness. How long had it been since she laid eyes on the gown, or even though about that other-worldly place down the rabbit hole? Upon coming back to England, she became so whisked away in the present that Wonderland nearly became a dream again. But the dress still remained.

Her pack on the bed with things for her departure was temporarily forgotten. What would it feel like to wear it again? Would she smell Wonderland tea, tarts, or the caterpillar's smoke? Or…would she simply be wearing a nice, clean dress and nothing more. She anxiously put the thing on, fabric whistling softly. She stepped before the mirror and heard a glass bottle drop onto the carpet.

A gusty breeze rushed into her face, bringing her back. The men were loading the last of the cargo onto the vessel. She turned around, a hand still firm on the rails. They finally brought her trunks and cases, going down to her quarters. On the top of all of her clothes for the journey she folded a light blue dress. No corsets. No stockings. Inside her coat she fingered a smooth, tiny bottle with a bit of liquid inside. In two hour's time the ship would leave London's docks and set its course to China. The duke's estate would be thousands of miles behind her.

She followed the men as they took her things down into the ship's belly. Perhaps putting things away would ground her nerves. She arranged her things into drawers but was drawn to look at the contents of her pocket. Very neatly printed onto some parchment attached to it were the words "DRINK ME." She gazed into the bottle's holdings and sighed. Maybe the magic was gone out of this, just as it had been with her dress. Maybe it was just some sour brew that would make her ill and nothing more.

She continued to look at it a bit sullenly until she saw reflected two bright green eyes reflected in the glass.


	2. Chapter 2

Whoah. I was quite happy to find responses already on such a short chapter. I adore the feedback. If this isn't clue enough, I most definitely plan on continuing this story. I'm currently in the last week of the quarter in my school, so I may be a bit on more stuff. But spring break is super-close, so I will certainly spend some time on my laptop.

We're inching closer to stuff now. :)

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Alice turned around abruptly, instinctively keeping the bottle behind her back. Trying to suppress her startled state, she pressed her lips together and tried a more confident stance. Her eyes finally met the person – or rather, people – behind her. There stood her business partner along with the ship captain, a man with shockingly bright green eyes. The man's hair was almost entirely hidden in his cap, but she could swear it was an equally vivid shade of oran-

"Ah, Ms. Kingsley, it seems you are settling into your room quite nicely. I just wanted to first introduce you to our ship captain. He's a very fine man," her colleague said, checking his pocket watch. "In fact, he tells me he's traversed as far as China, our current destination. Isn't that right, my good fellow?"

"Oh, yes. A number of occasions. Lovely tea there." The captain seemed a rather excitable sort, and he partook in smiling quite frequently.

Alice blinked purposefully, not wishing to stare. "I can imagine so."

"Well," her colleague replied, "we will leave dock within the hour. We'll pass through the Suez and head to China straightaway. Shouldn't take but a month."

Alice tore her glaze from the peculiarly familiar fellow to look to him. Her hands were moistening the bottle a bit. She still felt the captain's eyes on her. "Splendid. Very splendid indeed."

"Have you anything to be dealt with and I'm not handy, this," he commented, pointing to the younger gentleman, "is your man. With that said, I'm going back to the dock for a short moment; my wife is thoroughly displeased about my departure." He chuckled and it resounded in his thick frame. He left straightaway, shoes brushing across the carpeted hall.

This left the two staring at each other. The captain was still quite cheery, she noted. Feeling rather awkward, she smiled a bit herself. She nervously touched the smooth glass behind her back; it was still cool to the touch.

"You know…" she said, "I may sound a bit bonkers, but I could swear I knew someone who looked almost exactly like you."

He let out a small, peculiar laugh. "Fascinating! Where did you meet this man, hm?"

"Oh, somewhere…far away. Out east." She shifted her weight slightly. His similarity was maddening, but to who?

"And that is where we're headed, isn't it! That certainly is something." He pulled out a pocket watch of his own, which appeared slightly large and comical. "I am needed elsewhere, miss. But do not hesitate to stop by and say hello. These sailors, they're an awfully brutish sort. I hear them grunt more than speak, I dare say!" The speed of his speech was becoming almost alarming.

"Where might you be…?" Alice asked, causing him to pause and slow his frenzied oration.

"Most times I'm up on deck, miss. I keep a sharp eye out, you see. But, I do fancy a break for tea in my quarters each day," he stated, finger wagging. "In fact, with some suitable company here now, I would fancy the company of you and that fine gentleman. You enjoy tea, am I correct?"

"Of course."

He clasped his hands together. "Wonderful! I'll be about my way. I will be stationed on the deck if you need me, miss Kingsley." He was gone in nearly a flash, leaving a baffled Alice behind.

She walked over to her bed and sat down carefully by her open case. Her eyes traveled to the clock in her room. The hands rested on the four and three. It was past teatime now, she noted to herself. Putting things away weren't really her priority at the time, though. Alice brought her hands into her lap, looking down to her possession. What a perplexing encounter!

When she had first step foot on the ship, a fantastically blue butterfly rested briefly on her shoulder. Further examination had failed her, as the creature had fluttered off shortly after. Now, a rather mad man of a captain had greeted her. Her stomach was unsettled with these occurrences. Odd things could happen to any person, but this struck her especially as a queer thing.

A monstrous bellow resounded in the lower levels of the ship. Having no portholes in her room, Alice set the bottle in her nightstand and headed to the main deck immediately. Her mother would be out with the rest to bid them farewell and Alice would be very cross at herself if she didn't wave as they left dock. This would be a very long journey, after all.

The salty air tossed her hair about once more and she bolted to the railing. Her eyes narrowed in search of her mother who stood immersed in the crowd. The aging socialite put a hand to her mouth, her other gloved hand waving back to her daughter. Alice returned it, far too excited now for her own good. She stayed this way perhaps until she no longer could tell a singular person from the mass of the crowd.

"Miss Kingsley," a man's deep voice said behind her.

She turned, rather surprised once more. How often she seemed to be too consumed in thoughts or dreams. She immediately recognized the fellow; it was her dear old colleague.

"Yes? Is there something you might need?" she inquired. Her hands had remained upon the rail.

"Well, I have a proposition for you. A rather nice one, I might add."

She smiled minutely, "I'm listening."

"The captain wishes to dine with us to-night, as it is our first evening at sea. It will be at six exactly. Quite satisfactory cooks here, I do say." He smiled jovially.

"You would certainly know, sir."

He chuckled a bit. "That is beside the point, miss. Will you accept?"

She pressed her lips together in thought, looking to the sky as if the decision was trying. "I seem to be quite famished… He seems tolerable enough… I think I will say…certainly."

"Excellent, excellent! You know, I have something of interest that you might want to hear," he said in a hushed, but still amused tone.

Alice sighed, "And that would be…?"

"How do I say this?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I know you're fully aware that your mother is impeccably dead-set on finding you a proper husband…"

"Oh, bother!" Alice wined in dismay. "Don't tell me she's thinking about him."

He shrugged. "The captain is a respectable fellow, I can't deny it. Not that I think the same, my good lady. I just thought this bit of news would be worth knowing."

"It is, I suppose." Alice frowned. "Any eligible man seems to be on her list for me nowadays. But…" she looked back up to him, "does he know her thoughts?"

He shook his head, "Not a word of it. Therefore, you are safe, so to speak."

"Good. I'm just tiring of this charade."

"That said, I need to go to my quarters of the ship. I haven't had the chance to arrange my things properly. I would recommend the same for you, miss. I hear talk of nasty weather coming up on us."

Alice nodded at this, heading down the stairs behind him. She glanced up before descending, noting the murky gray clouds hanging above them.

Upon entering her cozy room, she locked the door soundly behind her. The question now was what to wear for this upcoming dinner. Her dresses were now all hung within her closet, neat and tidy. Jewelry was something she hadn't really bothered with, save her mother's necklace. She skimmed through her choices, turning her nose up at most of them. All were far too boring. She'd only planned on things that were to be worn out of doors in unfavorable conditions. Only one seemed to be suitable but she found she could only look at it.

It was that blue dress again. She crossed her arms. Would it hurt to wear it tonight? Perhaps it could jog her memory on the identity of that eccentric ship captain. Then again, she hadn't felt much of anything while wearing it the previous night…

Despite this, she threw the thing on anyway. Her hair was put back into place from the windswept look she had before. Her make-up selection was rather sparse as well. She dabbed a small amount of blush and not much else. Alice then examined herself within the mirror, nothing to seem to be out of place.

Except the time. The minute hand was dreadfully close to the six; it was now nearly six-thirty exactly. In a dash she closed her drawers and closet doors, running down the hall to the dining room. She carefully opened the door, the two men already seated. Both stood at her presence.

The captain spoke first, "Miss Kingsley, you're terribly late, you know. Naughty."


	3. Chapter 3

I have been really loving all the wonderful feedback. The poem/song within is from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.  
The reason for all these happening are going to be clear quite soon.

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Alice delicately closed the door behind her, apologizing softly. The captain was far quicker on his feet than her business partner, pulling out her chair for her. Once she was quite properly in her seat, the captain returned to his own spot. She noticed their meals were already on the table and the two men had refrained from eating before she arrived, which only made her feel all the more guilty.

"Oh, don't you worry about it at all, Miss Kingsley. We didn't mind at the slightest bit," the captain assured her. He was filling his cup with tea while saying this.

"No, not at all," the other man added.

She fiddled with her napkin in her lap slightly, looking down. "I'm so awful with keeping track of the clock. I won't let it happen again, I promise."

"Tea, miss?" the captain asked. She turned her gaze to him, suddenly looking at him in an unbelieving fashion.

He seemed to have changed before her almost at once. His fiery orange hair burst out from under a whimsical top hat. His features were pallid and his shockingly-green eyes were wide with an eccentric sort of madness, topped with feathery orange brows. The table stretched out long, covered in a hodgepodge of different teacups and scones and other little pastries. Odd, tall looking plants grew all about. Animals sipped tea around her in a most humanly fashion. Then she blinked.

She was simply seated with her colleague and the captain. It took her a moment to find her voice again, her mind still grappling with she had seen. "Yes, yes please."

He proceeded to do so, and she stole glances at him while he filled her cup. He remained the same in her vision this time around.

"Something the matter, miss?" the elder man inquired, cutting the steak on his plate. He seemed to be quite glad to be able to eat his meal, going at it right away.

She shook her head a bit. "Oh, no. I'm quite all right. Thank you." She added two cubes of sugar to her warm tea and stirred, trying to pull herself into reality. She inhaled its aroma; chamomile. Tea had a way of calming the nerves.

The captain suddenly piped up, his tea in hand. "Might I say, Miss Kingsley, you look quite pleasant tonight. A lovely dress, too."

Alice found that she couldn't help but to blush a bit, not quite expecting a compliment. Not consorting with her mother? She thought not. Nevertheless, he was probably just being a proper gentleman, after all. "Thank you, sir. I very much like the tea." She stole a glance at her business partner, who seemed to be slightly humored or pleased with the transaction.

The elder man spoke after swallowing a bit of his steak. "Captain Hightopp, do you think the impending stormy weather will hinder us on our way to the East?"

Funny, she'd never heard the man's name before. Hightopp. Something was turning the switches on in her mind. That name, it was so familiar. She knew it, but the memory just wouldn't materialize for her. She began to try to work at eating what was on her plate, watching both men.

"As long as we aren't facing some sort of a hurricane or something else that's disastrous…I would say that we're perfectly safe."

Somehow Alice thought this was not the case.

* * *

Alice had returned to her room right after dinner, forgoing her boots to be barefoot. With her dress still on her she lied down onto her bed, hands clasped on her stomach. It bothered her to no end that she simply couldn't figure out his familiar face. She knew those eyes somehow; they were so wildly bright and green. She huffed in annoyance.

Then there was that shockingly vivid day-dream, right in the middle of dinner, no less! The scene had been so much like the ones in her dreams, or rather, nightmares that visited her regularly. Had he been a character in them? Surely not, he was a real person, not some dream-like hatter.

Hatter.

She gasped. It was impossible.

'_Have I gone mad?' the Hatter had asked, eyes large and frightened.  
She had her hands on his cheeks. 'I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.'_

Something compelled her to go into her drawer and bring the curious little bottle out. She tucked it away in her dress, looking to the door. She had to find that Captain Hightopp and confirm her ridiculous suspicions, or disprove them. It would eat at her the entire trip, otherwise. Without thinking much, she simply left and headed to the main deck, boots forgotten.

Things had certainly turned for the worst at sea. Rain was pouring down around her and made the floor slick and cold. The sailors still went about their work, but they were soaked like rats. A crack of lightning lit up the dark sky, showing black choppy waters. Her eyes searched all around her, and she looked for any sign of him. Where was the helm at all, really?

Her hair clung to her face and her dress was becoming weighed-down with the rain and waves. She continued to stagger down the ship, clinging to posts and rails as it rocked from side to side. Alice was incredibly terrified, but not of the storm. She knew that these visions, these memories would not halt. She knew already that this was not means for celebration. Something had gone terribly wrong.

The flash of lightning lit her wet face, eyes wide with another memory.

_The green eyes of the Hatter gazed at her with unfathomable confusion and desperation.  
She said to him softly, 'I'm going to miss you when I wake up.'_

Alice felt a stinging in her eyes and rubbed the back of her hand against them. She had managed to get rather close to the bow, she now noticed. She strained to see through the water falling all around her, a light suddenly catching her eye. There, a number of feet away, was an enclosed structure made of large glass windows. A warm glow came from it, and she could see a figure standing within.

In her anxiety, Alice sped off quickly towards the enclosure only to feel her feet to lose traction almost immediately. Her hands wildly grasped the rail, saving herself from falling onto the hard wood deck. She swallowed.

"You idiot, Alice," she chided herself. "You could've very well cracked open your head. Careful, now."

She now worked at an inchworm's pace, working her way down the sturdy railing. She refrained from looking off to her side at the sea; how easy it would be for her to plummet. As long as she didn't peer over the rail…she would be fine.

Alice became alarmed by a strange sound, eyes darting around. It was a moment before she even found the source. Her teeth were chattering madly. The water had gone completely through her clothing. A fierce shiver wracked her body. Her feet were probably prune-like a numb by this time, too. How stupid for forgetting her boots!

But she was so close now! How long had see been stumbling down from stern? Had it been twenty minutes, an hour? The storm was just as perilous as it had been when she first left the safety of the ship's underbelly so the judgment of time was next to impossible. Her body was weary from the vessel lurching in different directions, leaving her to hold onto something with what strength she had.

Now, though, she no longer had the safety of the railing. She would have to abandon it to make a mad dash for the door of the room that enclosed the helm. First, she would wait for the ship to tip to the side she clung to. With that, she would start off when the change in tilt began again, using the momentum of this to keep her from falling back onto her head. She breathed in deeply, gaze pinned to her goal: the doorknob.

The ship slowly ended its tilt to her, leaving her in suspense. Her eyes wouldn't waver, but now her ears did pick up on something. A melody, perhaps, was coming from where the captain might be. All she could hear was a ghost of what was within as the roar of the storm and wind fought for her attention.

A groan escaped the ship once more. Taking in another sizable gulp, Alice's feet began carrying her to her destination. All else was a blur around her, the door becoming larger and larger in her vision as the closed in on it. Unable to stop her legs at the speed they were going and with her lack of traction, her entire body slammed into the door. Her air was knocked out of her lungs and her hand searched madly for the doorknob. She opened it quickly, staggering into the room. Alice closed it with her back, leaning heavily on the door for support.

Once she managed to begin breathing again properly, her lungs greedily sucked in air. Her whole body was sore and chilled to the bone, but her most acute pain she found to be in her chest. She lifted her head to look around at where she was. Some music was playing; it was rather loud and mirthful. Alice's eyes soon found the captain, looking at her from the wheel.

The music blared from the phonograph: _"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,  
"There's a porpoise right behind us, and he's treading on my tail.  
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!  
They are waiting on the shingle – will you come and join the dance?"_

Before she even knew it, she was being led about the small room, dancing to the peculiar music the captain had playing. Had he even noticed her state? Her feet somehow found enough energy to keep up, though she wasn't quite sure how she kept up with the peculiar dance.

_Will you, wo'n't you, will you, wo'n't you, will you join the dance?  
Will you, wo'n't you, will you, wo'n't you, will you join the dance?_

_"You really have no notion how delightful it will be  
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!  
But the snail replied, "Too far, too far!", and gave a look askance –  
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance._

She looked up to the captain in confusion. He seemed to be quite ecstatic, a large grin stretching across his face. Her voice hitched in her throat, "H-hatter?"

Somehow, his smile stretched even farther, wild green eyes looking to her blue ones. "Oh, it's so delightful that you've come just in time for the Lobster Quadrille, Alice! It may not be as exciting as the Futterwacken, I do say, but how lovely it is to see you again!"

_Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.  
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance._

Her heart leapt in happiness. The Mad Hatter was the captain! She wanted to laugh in spite of her soreness and cold limbs.

"_What matter it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.  
"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.  
The further off from England the nearer is to France –  
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.  
Will you, wo'n't you, will you, wo'n't you, will you join the dance?  
Will you, wo'n't you, will you, wo'n't you, wo'n't you join the dance?"_

The phonograph uttered scratchy whispers, signaling the end of the song. Alice found she was breathing quite heavily now, chest pulsing in and out. It was barely a few seconds before she found herself against the warmth of the Hatter's chest, pulled into a snug hug.

"I m-missed you," she sputtered.

He sighed, his festive nature slowly leaving. "You've taken quite a bit of time answering your questions here. However, you are wetter than a codfish and just as cold as one. How did you go about this, hm?"

He drew away, taking off his heavy outer jacket. She replied a bit softly, "Walked…"

The Hatter's eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at her feet. They were just feet, too. No boots or shoes of any sort. "You are a mess, Alice. Take this." He wrapped it around her shivering shoulders; she had felt the cool water in her clothes as soon as he had released her.

She gratefully did so, feeling much better. The only chair within the room was a small wooden one, but he eased her into it. Alice sighed in relief, finally off her feet. Her eyes looked back up to the Hatter, swallowing slightly to prepare for proper speech.

"What I would like to know, is exactly how it is that you've gotten here."


	4. Chapter 4

This one is a teeny bit shorter than the last, given that I found a sooner appropriate stopping point. But, I have to say, I want to really really really thank you all for the lovely reviews. Now, it seems, we'll have a nice foundation for our story finally! Hoorah! I always like to pull my ideas from Carroll's books, as you will see. More specifically, the things Burton didn't use in his film.

Questions now mostly answered. :) And is it just me, or does the Panic at the Disco song "She Had the World" song remind you of Alice and the Hatter? I've been jamming to that album recently while writing, along with some Elfman and whatnot.

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

The Hatter thus removed his ship captain's hat, revealing the familiar mess of curly, fiery-orange hair underneath. It was almost comical how his hair fell out of its confines in that stout cap, as if it were a surprise. A small smile wanted to tug at the corners of her mouth. The Hatter scratched his head a bit, perhaps deciding where to begin.

"I will answer your question with two questions." This caused Alice to raise a brow in confusion. She nearly had forgotten he was a Wonderland inhabitant. He went on, "Would you prefer first to hear how I came? Or rather, why I came?"

Her stomach churned slightly. She hadn't put as much thought into his second inquiry at all. The last time someone from Wonderland came to the surface… Hadn't provisions been made to prevent any more harm from being done, though? That answer would perhaps be the most difficult, she concluded. After this debate within her mind, she returned her focus to the Hatter.

"I would like to know first how you got here. I'm very confused." She drew the jacket tighter since warmth was slow in its arrival. She noticed that it smelled very much like him with its aromas of leather, tea, and pastries. The smell lingered in her nose, easing her tension.

He nodded at this, formulating another response for her. She remarked that he seemed surprisingly lucid at the moment. Alice waited patiently.

"Shortly after you returned home, the battlefield began to be cleared. People went home and whatnot. I asked the queen, our beloved White Queen, if I could dispose of the Jabberwocky's remains." The Hatter's low Scottish brogue had settled in, causing Alice to lean forward slightly. He paused for a moment to go back to the helm. He fiddled the wheel a bit, there continuing his story. "All that was left was the head. The corpse had fallen deep into a ravine to where no one could retrieve it."

Alice decided to stand, walking softly over to where he stood. He seemed not to notice her at all. The Hatter's eyes gazed only forward at sea, or perhaps, through it and at nothing. She remained still as he resumed speaking.

"Very, very quietly and quickly I took out small little bottles…very much like the one in your possession." She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. How was it that he knew…? "I then collected all the blood that would drip from its severed head. When it ran dry, I was left with four portions. I tucked them away and did my duty; I drug the head to the cliff and pushed it over. The Queen invited me back to her home and I refused."

She found herself softly speaking aloud her thoughts . "You drank one to come here." Oddly enough, it wasn't a question.

He was pulled from his low emotions and met her gaze with a peculiar smile. "Quite." The strange colors he had had around his eyes began to slowly seep back in. He must have kept them hidden, she concluded.

Alice shifted her weight on her feet, deciding to look down at them briefly. They were getting a somewhat healthier hue in them. She remained still, moving neither forward or away from him. Rain pelted the windows, permeating the silence along with the soft sounds of the wheel turning. She noticed now, being in the middle, it was not quite as easy for her to be tossed about on the rocking ship.

She took notice that now he simply waited for her to speak again, having nothing more to say on the matter. A feral strike of lightning struck uncomfortably close to the ship. Her eyes darted to it and she involuntarily held her breath.

"We're fine at the moment, Alice. No need to worry." The Hatter still held darkness in his voice. Thunder rumbled low in the background.

She shivered, but finally spoke. "For what reason did you come here, Hatter?"

His body now held some tension but his hands still deftly were at work at the wheel. "A fine inquiry, indeed. Really, it's the core of all this, the meat, the buried treasure, the ace in the hole, the-"

"Hatter." Alice took a slow step towards him, but spoke firmly.

"…thank you," he replied in a bit of a strained voice. He took a small moment to compose himself, narrating once more in his low, gravelly tone. "The White Queen, as kind as she was, was a bloody fool. Yes, she did send the Knave and her sister far off with escorts, but…"

"But what?" Alice asked, becoming more and more anxious.

"She should have known better than to leave those two alone. She would have been better off having them separated, each in a different corner of Underland. Her sister, the Red Queen, quickly grew bitter with the facts of the Knave's loss of amity towards her. She killed the worthless mongrel in his sleep." The Hatter said this with a small degree of satisfaction, but his eyes lost their green and were now a piercing golden yellow. The lightning reflected in them gave her chills. "No one is certain how, but she did."

A sailor outside that was in Alice's line of vision was struggling with some sort of rope. With the elements against him, he became ensnared and soon found himself within the tumultuous waters. He was not given a passing glance. All others were focused on keeping their own hides and the ship right-side up. Alice turned away, no longer caring to peer out.

"She traveled for perhaps a month, looking for anyone to join her once more. In the northernmost parts of the land, she certainly did find someone. A very particular someone, in fact. Someone who had been a plague to the land quite some time ago, when you were a wee little girl. Well, not just a single person, as 'someone' can be used as a plural as well, you see…" The Hatter turned the helm roughly to the left, causing Alice to stumble slightly. She caught herself by grabbing onto his arm, looking up into his far-off eyes.

"She enlisted the help of the armies of both the Lion and the Unicorn. She has dangled what they desire just out of reach, so they do follow her. Everyone in the land was too busy celebrating victory still to realize this impending uprising. She seized power again quite easily and effectively…" He eased the ship to be level again, not noticing her grip. The Hatter's frown deepened a bit, now thoroughly peeved. "The White Queen was run out of her own home. She didn't fight back, not wanting to break her ridiculous vows. She fled, and we haven't a clue if she even is alive."

Alice drew her hand away and held the jacket firmly again. A sense of dread was growing in the pit of her stomach. "What do you expect me to do?" Her voice was small and rather weak, as if she were but a mouse.

He turned his gaze back towards her, smiling. With his molten eyes and the darkness around them, it made her a bit more uneasy. "That was something I was hoping you'd know, my dear."

She drew another breath, about to make another utterance. She was cut short, however, as another swift bolt of lightning struck the mast of the ship. Alice, due to this quick, violent act, yelped slightly and threw her arms around the Hatter. A great crack of wood pierced the air, but was muffled in the steering room. The sail became aflame shortly afterward, black smoke lifting up into the sky. The malignant flames would creep elsewhere, but for now it greedily ate away at the cloth of the sails. They were incredibly lucky that the mast had not fallen down upon them, causing the glass of the windows to shatter and shoot every other way.

"Bloody Red Queen…" the Hatter growled.

"W-w-what do you mean?" Alice choked out.

The Hatter's grip tightened on the wheel. "She's trying to do away with you before you get the chance to return. I thought there would be more time…"

"Before I return?" Alice drew away, peeved now."You never once asked if I wanted to! Three times I've been pulled down to fix things, and not once have I gone on my own volition!"

His darkness began to fade away and it turned to confusion, mixed with a growing fear. "I only assumed you would…" It was as if Alice had eaten a large bite of growing teacake, as he began to feel absurdly small.

The fire was of no concern to her at all. Her fists went to her sides. "That's right! You assumed! I was just about to go to China and begin trading, something the West hasn't accomplished! It was something my father had only dreamed of! And here you barge in, and assume-"

"I'll make you a bargain," he cut in suddenly. He was the uneasy one now.

Alice crossed her arms, becoming quite tired of her sequence of events. She looked at the floorboards. "Fine. Tell me what you've to offer."

"If you remember…I have enough Jabberwocky blood for three more trips. One for you and I, to Underland…" He paused, speaking in a smaller voice, "and one more for you to use to return home."

She turned her gaze back to him, his tone causing her to become curious. She froze, not quite expecting his hurt expression. _'I'll miss you when I wake up.'_ A lump settled in her throat. What an idiot she was! Had she forgotten completely of what this man had sacrificed for her? She felt like an awfully rotten person now and she let her arms drop weakly. Then smoke filled her nostrils.

Alice looked around in alarm, looking for the source. Black smoke was slipping in through the cracks around the door, making her heart beat fiercely once more. If she weren't in such peril, she would have quite laughed at her situation. She had two choices now, you see. Die in the burning sea vessel, or go to fight to save Underland yet again. Her mind raked for options. They hadn't any lifeboats, and the ship was so dreadfully far off from shore. Before she could debate it any longer, she looked into the Hatter's eyes again. It nearly broke her heart, how helpless he looked. It was exactly like the last thing she had seen of him when she had left.

"You have the Jabberwocky blood with you?" she asked, now quite firm and determined.

His face began to light up. "Yes, yes of course." He dug around in his pants pockets, procuring two tiny bottles. The Hatter quickly handed one over to her, taking the cork stopper out of his hastily.

Alice coughed a bit. The fire was becoming far too close for comfort, she noted. The blood within was a familiar, dark purple serum. It moved around its container slowly like syrup, though was undoubtedly not quite as sweet. She had a ride home promised to her. "Me first?"

"Clever girl!" He grinned, now quite relieved.

"Well…" she said to herself, "here goes nothing. I suppose I'll meet you at the tea table, then?" He nodded, jumpy now. She took in a deep breath, only to have it foiled by more smoke. Alice hacked for a brief moment before forcing herself to pour the purple liquid down her throat. The fit just continued, wracking her body. She then made her wish.


	5. Chapter 5

Goodness, it's taken me over a week to update. I feel awful about it, since I was so frequent in the beginning. There's no legitimate reason, really. I was really, dreadfully lazy (it was spring break). Moreover, I bought the new Pokemon game, SoulSilver, and am super-obsessed. I am a dork, I know. But it's been something I have done since I've been little. Anywayyy... Here is finally stuff in Underland! I always pull stuff from the original books and you may notice the occasional references to Johnny Depp's past characters along the way. It's something fun I like to throw in. Lastly, before I stop my little rant.... Thank you so so so so so so so so much for all of the lovely reviews! They are super-motivational and all that good stuff. Keep them coming. I heart you all bunches.

Oh, one more thing I guess. I'm thinking about maybe naming the chapters, since "Chapter insert number" is really boring. Does anyone object? I'll do my best and cute and witty, haha.

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

She still continued to hack dreadfully. Her eyes were pressed shut, unable to handle the severity of the force. Her hands waved around to find something to hold onto to steady herself. It was a short moment before they grabbed onto a fabric of some sort and a light metal object. Neither did her much good, as they were not sturdy, and her body still forced the smoke from her lungs in a most violent fashion. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She could scarcely catch her breath!

"Alice, would you care to quell that with some tea?" a voice asked.

She tried to withhold her coughs, nodding. The cool, smooth surface of a teacup came to her lips and she drank immediately. The liquid nearly went down the wrong pipe, which only would have meant more dreadful hacking. The tea tasted a bit strange, she noticed, and it was rather lukewarm. It was bitter and had no sweetness to it. She frowned, brushing the wetness from her eyes. Alice then opened her eyes to see exactly where she was.

The first thing that came into her vision was the Hatter. Or rather, his wild hair caught her attention. He seemed a bit concerned, his feathery eyebrows crunched together. His captain's suit was long gone as he now wore the familiar garb that she had known him to don in Underland. Moreover, his complexion returned to its rather ghastly state. Funny how his "normal" skin above ground had seemed odd.

"Are you quite all right, Alice?" he inquired, pulling the empty teacup away.

Alice swallowed, only being able to nod. Luckily it seemed that her clothes were no longer drenched, one thing to be quite grateful for. However, she now noted that she sat upon the tea table itself. More specifically, right on a tray of scones. Uttering a sound of disgust, Alice hopped off and brushed the back of her dress. Her eyes shifted back to the table. The scones she had been sitting on were actually quite moldy and repulsive. On most items there was a fine layer of dust. The scene seemed to have been untouched for days, maybe even weeks.

Alice finally found her voice. "Where is everyone…?" It was unsettling, like a Christmas tree without presents.

The Hatter bit his lip slightly, his suit a rather dull color. "Frankly, I haven't a clue. It seems I haven't been here in a while." He turned his attention to the stout house behind them. "But…I haven't looked inside."

He went off in the direction of the house at once, leaving Alice behind. She quickly went after him, hoping to find her friends within the home. The door had already been ajar before the Hatter went through, nearly off its hinges. She stepped within the atrium, seeing a flash of orange turn a corner. Rather than dashing after him again, she began to walk elsewhere.

She found herself in the kitchen-area. There were all sorts of teakettles everywhere, most of them on hooks on the ceiling. A burnt tray of muffins sat quietly on the counter beside her. Other baking items were strewn over the counter tops, such as a fallen bag of flour, rotten eggs, and chocolate chips. All things were either dusty or in some stage of decay. Alice peered inside a pot on the stove. A frog promptly jumped out at her and croaked. She let out a yelp of surprise and jumped back.

The little frog hopped into the flour, then upon the floor. It was most displeased with itself. Alice carefully picked the amphibian up, headed to the sink. She must have frightened the poor thing, too. After turning the knobs of the faucet rather forcefully, she managed to get water to pour into the sink. She brought the frog under the water, cleaning it quite nicely. It jumped up and gave her a thankful, slimy little kiss on the cheek before bounding out the kitchen window.

She turned around to start looking elsewhere, but she found herself running into the Hatter who stood rather close. He looked around, alert.

"Is there anything dangerous in the house?" he asked in a hushed tone. His eyes traveled back to her, checking for any harm done to her person.

Alice giggled at his seriousness, a hand over her mouth. "Oh, yes! A dreadful frog was about to swallow me whole!"

The Hatter paused for a brief moment, just looking at her with his previous expression. It unsettled her slightly, but he quickly began cackling himself. His clothes weren't so dull anymore, she noted, and he had to put a hand on his chest to contain himself. How contagious his amusement was! Alice found herself unable to continue laughing and her chest became quite sore, too. How silly they must've looked to others, if anyone was around. She did her best to try to compose herself, holding the guffaws in, since they really did start to pain her. She never really remembered laughing so vehemently! A giggle escapes her lips. She quickly clasped her hands over her mouth.

"A frog!" he repeated, as he had said this between spurts of laughter. "I can't breathe!"

Alice did her best to speak quite seriously. "All you have…to do…is…think of not…so happy things."

"Like what?" he sputtered.

"Like…" She paused to think, a frown soon taking the place of her Cheshire-like grin. "Perhaps…why we're looking about."

His laughter slowed steadily and he found his voice with more ease. "That's not pleasant at all…" The color faded from his suit, and it made Alice all the more morose.

"Well, I couldn't properly find the others with you succumbing to asphyxiation." A small smile, not quite as grand as her previous one, tugged at the corners of her mouth. She wished to drift away from the last subject and was eager to do so.

The Hatter sighed, still rather gloomy. His nose crinkled, now looking at the mess in the kitchen. Despite their search, he sidetracked from this and began to tidy things up. Oddly enough, however, he put dirty dishes into the cupboards. They still had all sorts of mold and gooey filth all over them.

"Hatter, what is it that you're doing?" she asked, thoroughly confused. "They're still frightfully dirty!"

He seemed more confused than her, stopping his self-appointed task. "Why, you're always supposed to put the dishes into the cupboard, _then_ you wash them. What exactly do _you_ do?"

Alice shook her head, just smiling to herself. How silly to think logic here. It was rather frustrating, though. "Oh, nothing. Still a bit woozy from the trip, I imagine."

He nodded, finding this to be a suitable reason.

"Hatter," she said suddenly. This caused him to pause, so she resumed. "Shouldn't we continue looking…? It would be awful if they were in any sort of danger." She fiddled with her dress as he put a saucer down. "Do you know where they might be, besides here?"

With both hands on the counter top, the Hatter bowed his head, racking his brain. This was a tiring process, as most of his thoughts were jumbled and hard to navigate. So much so, in fact, that he didn't notice Alice walk over to stand beside him, curious as to how he was doing. His brows were right next to each other, as if he had a unibrow. His eyes darted around, racking his brain, but not looking at anything in particular. She waited patiently until a smile broke across his face and he straightened his posture.

"Oh, yes! I know just the place!" He put his hands together, palm to palm, in excitement at his epiphany.

Her eyes widened and she stepped closer, seeming to want to know his idea more than anything all of a sudden. "Where? Where is it?"

Her face reminded him of her child-self that had visited years past, but his excitement got the better of him and he pushed the thought aside. "I think they may very well be at the duchess's cottage!"

Confusion spread across her pretty face, eagerness wilting ever so slightly. "The duchess's…" It wasn't quite a question. She said it aloud to herself, searching for any memory of such a place. Underland memories (she found herself using the citizens' name for the place now) were sometimes foggy for her, she noted. The only thing she could salvage in her mind was that it had been a rather unpleasant place. Her nose crinkled slightly.

The Hatter explained further, his feet now carrying him out of the house now that he had a destination. He was a rather tall man, and even while he walked she had to be lively on her feet to keep up! "You see, our problem most times is that they pick up our scent, such as when Bayard came that one day to our tea party, accompanied by the Knave! You remember this, correct?"

"Yes!" If he kept this up, she would be out of breath yet again.

She was not so lucky. He continued on, "Well, the duchess is very, very, very fond of pepper. In fact, her cook practically makes pepper with soup, rather than soup with pepper! It reeks of pepper all day ever day, and all around the cottage as well. No one comes for _miles._ On top of that, there's the most awful sound coming from it."

The wheels slowly began to turn in her head. She remembered something about a pig. "What sort of a sound?"

"If the stench weren't enough to drive people away," he still said excitedly, "then their ears simply would not abide listening to the wailing coming from that place! The duchess has a child, an heir to her estate. It never seems to grow up, however. All it does is cry and wail and scream and bawl and-"

"Hatter!"

He frowned for a few seconds, and then went on. "Well, in any sense, it's the perfect place to hide. It will take but a day's time to get there, I reckon."

"A _day?_" With that, Alice stopped jogging all together. "Hatter, will all due respect…" She inhaled deeply. "I simply can't walk that fast for an entire day!"

The March Hare's home was far behind them, only a speck. She marveled at the idea of how fast he might be able to run! The dark trees of the forest were overhead, their looming branches reaching over the path. Moss dangled from their slender fingers and leaves. What was left of the sun (as it was growing dark) could scarcely be seen through all of this foliage. She half expected to see Chessur at any moment.

"…then perhaps it will take a little longer than a day. A day and ten-sixths." He nodded, confident in his calculations.

Alice thought the fraction over for a bit, frowning deeply. "But…that would be over two days!"

"But not as precise!" He pointed his finger at her.

"You know, I could have sworn that when I was younger it was far closer than it is now," she stated, confused.

"Dear Alice, if you were a path, would you like to go to the same two places every single day?" the Hatter inquired.

"I suppose not…"

"Well, neither does this one! It doesn't go to the duchess's today. I think it leads more towards the sea, you see. And that would not do us much good, seeing as thought our companions would not seem to be there." With that, he started off again deeper into the forest. Luckily, he did not walk quite so briskly.

Letting out a huff, Alice went after the madman once more. The journey was to be an eventful one, she imagined.


	6. Chapter 6

Eeek, it's been a while since I updated. My apologies! Anyway, I have decided against naming chapters. I thought about it, and I knew that I would be super-lazy numerous times and not feel like coming up with a good chapter name, or I'd be at a loss. I know people have been dying for some hint of fluff if anything, and I felt as though I wanted to do that very thing now. I hope you'll enjoy this longer installment. Also, I want to thank everyone for nearly 100 reviews! I never thought it'd get this much attention, really. I think that I'll recognize people once I hit the 100 mark, since I'm so incredibly thankful. You guys inspire me and make me stick to it, since it's easy to let go of these things as many fanfic authors have done (which is sad). Enough of my stupid talking. Enjoy!

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

The path they were traveling was awfully jagged, going this way and that. It simply couldn't seem to make its mind on which way to go! If anything, she far preferred it over a dreadfully boring straight walkway. Alice began to tire, however. She quickly brought her hands to her mouth, yawning quietly. How long had it been since dinner? She never went to sleep afterward, had she? It was only but sunset now. Her legs, rather used to the route, continued to walk without a thought given to them. Alice rubbed her eyelids in tiredness. She thought they very well could have been dipped in lead.

The Hatter, on the other hand, was simply indefatigable. He still strode on several paces ahead of her, the fabric on his hat billowing slightly behind him. Alice thought he could very well go about this road indefinitely, through snow, rain, sleet, or what have you. It annoyed her, really. How could he be so full of vim and vigor when she struggled to keep her eyes open? She huffed quietly in annoyance.

"Hatter," her voice finally rang out.

He spun around rather quickly, surprised to hear her call him. Why, he had been so focused upon his task, he'd noticed little else. He couldn't focus properly, trying still to break his semi-trance. "Ah, yes?"

How grateful she was to stop walking! Her feet still felt as though they were moving onward, however. She crossed her arms on her chest, not really knowing what else to do with them.

"I'm just dreadfully tired. I haven't slept in I don't know how long, and then there was that frightful storm…" He still listened attentively, so she continued. "Perhaps we could stop and rest somewhere around here…?"

He brought a hand to his face in thought and began to chew a nail slightly. The Hatter's gaze went all about their present location, searching for she didn't have the slightest idea of what. He walked around as well, occasionally turning a small stone over to look under or something else that she thought was peculiar. Without any real warning, he began to stray from the dirt path into the thick bushes. He seemed as intent as a bloodhound on a trail. Not really wanting to be left behind and in fear that in his focus he'd forget go back to her, Alice hurried after him.

How dark it was now! It was if the fairy Robin Goodfellow was part of this land, causing mischief and stirring up more thick fog. All she could make out in the brush was the pinkish cloth on his hat that whipped in the air behind him, as well as his electric orange hair. The nasty fingers of the branches grabbed at her clothes and hair. Occasionally they scratched across her soft skin, causing her lips to curl downward into a frown. Curious, she glanced over her shoulder at her attackers only to see that they had dreadful cavernous faces, leering at her with glowing eyes and fanged mouths. Alice now went significantly faster, bumping into the Hatter's back. He had stopped all of a sudden, focused on whatever was in front of him.

Alice regained her balance and peered around him. Her eyes widened in wonder; it was a ravishing sight. There before them stood a magnificent Weeping Willow, its branches flowing and long, tears flowing down its stricken features. It sobbed heavily, waving its branches all about like whips. Its flower petals and leaves fluttered through the air. The tree tried desperately to ward off a collection of pesky Fire Flies who threatened to make if become aflame. Alice had to admit, however, that they held a beauty of their own. They were small little candles that flitted about like fallen embers. Oh, but how the wretched tree wailed!

"Hatter," Alice said again, voice cracking. "How are we going to help this poor tree? It's in agony! I can't stand to hear its pitiful shrieks…"

His eyes flickered from her face back to the small swarm of Fire Flies. He had not responded, but he held a seriousness about his countenance. His hands were at his sides, twitching nervously on his legs. The willow only continued to get louder and louder, more horrified and panicked. She could only look back and forth at them, each becoming increasingly distressed. One Fire Fly latched itself onto one of the tree's whip-like branches, its flame spreading to the leaves. Alice yelped at the horrid sound the willow released into the night, her hands over her ears. It was a blood-curdling scream that she expected to hear from a mother losing her child, but magnified through the echo chamber inside of it. Her heart felt as though it very well was going to break for the poor dear.

He seemed nearly as stricken as she was. Heart beating madly in her chest, she grasped onto his shoulders and shook him. The Hatter's gaze was finally pulled from the growing fire to her blue eyes that threatened to bring forth tears. She would very well weep herself.

"Do something, anything, please Hatter! I don't know what to do!" she choked.

"Fire Flies…are like, like candles…" he answered, still slightly in a stupor. "You just blow them out…"

Her face was incredulous, as she hadn't even considered the idea at all. All it took was another scream from the tree to let her return to her senses, head whipping around. Her feet carried her to where it was rooted, perhaps twenty or thirty feet away from where they had been. Once one unfortunate Fire Fly fluttered to where she stood, she drew in a deep breath and blew with as much force as her diaphragm would allow. A small squeak came from the Fly, then its flame disappeared and it dropped to the ground. Smoke came up from its tiny, charred body.

He still stood! Alice was fuming with anger at this realization and her cheeks were certainly a cherry red.

"Are you going to help or what, Hatter?! You look like a stupid codfish, gaping like that!"

He frowned. "I am not a codfish!"

* * *

Alice promptly fell down upon the ground, arms and legs where ever they chose to be. Her chest heaved as her lungs tried to pull as much oxygen as they could from the air. What exhausting work it had been! The Hatter, once he had regained some of his senses, had proved to be rather good at extinguishing the Fire Flies. He, however, had also become thoroughly exhausted. His hands rested upon his knees as he steadied his breathing as well. The tree only whimpered slightly, nursing the branch that had been a victim to one of the insects.

Alice closed her eyes, happy to feel the earth still beneath her. It was very cool and her toes curled into the soil like roots. She felt something play with her hair, and she supposed it was the wind…until that something began to yank rudely. Her lids shot open at once, now seeing a branch wrapped around her tresses.

"Dearie…" the tree whispered, its voice floating through the wind, "I am so grateful to you, and that wonderfully brave man."

Alice delicately removed the branch from her hair, not wanting to offend the willow. "It wasn't right, the way those things were frightening you… You're very welcome, though." She curtsied a bit.

"So polite…" The tree let out a soft sigh. Alice supposed it was a female tree. "Is there anything that I may be able to do for you two, my child…?"

She nodded. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, might we be able to stay here for the night? It's been awfully long since we've slept."

A smile came upon the willow's face, its bark creaking. "But of course… I too am tired, and plan on resting straightaway. You may still rest under my branches. Goodnight, dears…" It was then her face faded back into her trunk. The Weeping Willow was nothing more than a tree now.

"Now…" Alice spoke, mostly to herself, "if only I had something to eat."

"That is something that I can alleviate."

Alice poked her head through the tree's branches, thinking that she had heard his voice from there. Lo and behold, he sat on the mossy earth, cross-legged and making a nighttime pot of tea (without fire, no less). As irrational as it was, she simply strode over to seat herself across from him, legs tucked to the side. She adjusted her dress as to not be indecent. Her nose drank in the heavenly scent, which warmed her insides. It was a delightful brew of blackberry tea, she thought. It may not have been food, but…

"Of course, one cannot get rid of hunger in this way. Therefore, I also have this." From out of nowhere, or somewhere in his jacket perhaps, he drew a delightful platter of pastries. She let out a small gasp. There were scones, tarts, muffins, cookies… Her mouth was watering. How difficult it would be to be ladylike and feed her growling belly!

"Oh, thank you so much!" Carefully she took an orange scone from the tray, nibbling on its sweet surface. Never had dessert been quite this heavenly.

He smiled, quite pleased that he saw a happy Alice. He poured them both a cup of tea, dropping in a few cubes of sugar and stirring. Delicately he placed it down before her on the mossy earth.

"Hatter…" she mumbled through a bite of the scone, "how long were you out of Underland, looking for me?" While walking the question had eaten at her a bit, as she'd never told him where she lived or to where she planned on going. England must have been such a foreign place to the excitable haberdasher.

"Hmm…how long…" He paused from stirring sugar in his own cup. "When I did arrive, you calendar said July the first… Correct me if I am wrong, but I think we just left July the sixteenth? My memory is so foggy, you see…"

With this she stopped chewing altogether. He had searched her out for over two weeks? He was in a land he didn't know, no one there he could call a friend, not a single pence in his pocket, yet he had become a ship captain on her vessel? Where had he lived, how did he eat? Did he even know how to run a ship prior? She simply balked at this, unable to even swallow the wad of food in her mouth which became more and more liquefied by the second. He had risked it all just to find her. He could have returned home at any moment with the Jabberwocky blood.

"But, I did find you! Everyone called be a lunatic, but I just knew I could find you. I'm quite excited to tell Chessur that he owes me one of his nine lives. An awfully terrible bet, but all the better for me!" It didn't seem to bother him at the slightest…

Finally she swallowed her food, shivering at the disturbing conglomeration that slithered down her throat. The tea was incredibly scrumptious. How had he fixed piping hot tea with no flame? There was probably some nonsensical answer, so she dismissed it completely.

"You know, Alice, I think it is proper that I get the chance to ask something to you for each question you present to me. I've certainly had time to ponder a few things myself since I had seen you last." He took another sip of tea. His clothes were a calm shade of warm brown.

"I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. Go right ahead." She had to admit, she hadn't expected this. Alice was incredibly interested to hear what the Hatter had on his mind.

He tilted his head to the side, seeming to try to figure out what exactly it was that he wanted to ask. Finally a smile graced his lips once more. "What was your father like?"

Alice blinked. "Why does my father interest you?"

He shrugged slightly. "Well, I overheard that he was the one who created your trading company, wasn't he? Moreover, I find it hard to believe you got your muchness from your mother. I met her briefly." The Hatter shook his head at the memory.

She couldn't help much laugh slightly. He looked so serious! "Yes, I do think I got my muchness from him. He always said to me that he could think of six impossible things before breakfast time. At night, when I was a little girl (before my original days in Underland, you see) I had the same sort of frightening dream every night…"

The Hatter's smile faded visibly and he stopped drinking tea completely. He seemed to lean in slightly, engrossed by her story.

"It was of Underland, but of the not so nice parts. I dreamt of the Red Queen, of the croquet games, of the trial…" She shook her head. "Dreadful, dreadful things. I would go into his room on those nights and ask him to help me fall asleep. All these magnificent disillusions terrified me. I thought I'd gone bonkers, you know. Normal people surely didn't have those sorts of dreams, or the same ones for that matter. But you know what he said to me?"

Still wrapped in her story, he could only shake his head by small degrees.

"Well, I would first ask him if he thought I was mad, which I suspected I was. Then, he would say to me, tucking me snug into my bed, 'I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.' I could always go back to sleep afterwards and maybe dream of tea parties or unbirthdays or talking flowers…" It made her feel warm, thinking on these things. Now it occurred to her that it was a rather lovely night. The stars were bright in the sky through the Weeping Willow's branches, a soft wind blew through the summer night air…

It was then that she focused on his gaze again. She'd become so involved that she could only fiddle with the flora on the earth or maybe the fabric on her dress. Never had she really shared such an intimate story with anyone; it was so incredibly personal for her. However, she saw that he was regarding her with such….adoration? Suddenly she remembered that she had said those very words to him. Her heart quickened a bit.

Recovering from this, she said, "You two would have been very good friends…"

The Hatter nodded, retaining his grin. "Your turn, Alice."

"Oh! Right then…" She drew her legs closer, hands clasped together. After a moment or so of silent deliberation and sips of tea with both parties, she returned her focus to the Hatter. "Can you tell me what's happened to Underland since I left?"

With this he frowned deeply. "I would prefer to answer this tomorrow. I don't want to waste a perfectly pleasant evening on that business. Moreover, I want to organize what I need to tell you. I would end up talking myself in circles and then become thoroughly cross-eyed. Not a lovely sight, I can assure you." He took a bite out of a razzleberry muffin. "Something different, if you will."

This time she decided it was best to bring up the first thing that popped into her mind. Surely there wasn't any harm in that. She had so much on her mind that it was proper to start where ever she could. Fingering a slender Weeping Willow leaf she inquired softly, without much thought, "Did you go to England to find the Underland Champion or to find me, just Alice?"

He choked on his tea, pounding on his chest to clear his airway. "Who…did I come for…?"

She was quite surprised by her question herself. Alice felt a bit of warmth in her cheeks. What had she gotten herself into this time? She bit her lip, scolding herself inwardly.

"Why, I would think that would be obvious…" He cleaned his mouth, dabbing his handkerchief upon it. "I sought out you, Alice. It was completely horrible having an Underland without an Alice."

It was her turn to smile now, the corners of her mouth pulling upward prettily. She attempted to hide her face by looking sideways, but it still brought delight to the Hatter.

"It's indisputably true! I think such a thing should be a crime. Moreover, it is also a crime to hide such a lovely smile." His cup made a soft "tink" noise as he set it down upon its saucer.

Trying to distract herself, she resumed eating that orange scone she'd taken from the tray. What a fine kettle of fish she'd gotten herself into!

"Hatter, I do think it's your turn to ask a question," Alice said.

"Oooh, right you are." His hands were placed upon his knees, drumming silently. "Have you figured out yet how a raven is like a writing desk?"

A short moment of silence paused. Alice then broke out in unrestrained laughter. He always seemed to have the most serious expression when he said the silliest things. Her sides ached, causing her to fall onto the soft ground, hair every which way and on her face. This was by far her most favorite tea party, she concluded.

Unable to help himself, he began to laugh uncontrollably himself. He, however, delighted far more in her reaction that what he had said. This was certainly an evening not to be tarnished by somber questions like the one she had proposed prior. It was a lovely night.

"I dare say, Alice," he said between bursts of laughter, "on your last visit we hadn't the time to throw you an unbirthday party!"

"No!" she agreed, taken by giggles again.

"I have something…for your unbirthday…today…if you'd like it!" Guffawing all the way, he dug into his jacket pockets, searching for whatever gift he had hidden. Alice managed to return to an upright position, wiping the tears from her eyes.

There in his hands she saw a delightful, dainty blue hat. It was incredibly close to the same shade as her dress and it was made of fine materials and lace ribbon. She gasped at how sublime it was!

"It's beautiful…" she whispered.

He grinned broadly. "I had so hoped you would like it! Allow me."

The Hatter hopped up, walking over to where she was seated. Carefully he set it upon her head, his fingers only slightly brushing across the hair on her scalp. She shivered slightly, not quite expecting his touch.

"I made it while I was on my quest to find you in England."

"Thank you ever so much…" She reached up to touch it, feeling the soft fabric.

"Now, it seems I must break the rules and pose another question." He began to pack up his things, looking over his shoulder as he spoke to her. She looked to him in wonder as he stuffed everything into his jacket. "Are you sleepy?"

Another radiant smile came to her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

Whoah, it's been way too long, huh? I can explain, you see. I take AP classes at my school, and my European History teacher decided to take us at a break-neck speed to get done and start reviewing before the exam. So, so many review packets... If I ever see a Grand Review again, I may cry. But yeah, that ate all my time on top of my music concerts, then music banquets... It's been crazy, but exams are now over! Hurrah! I'll see if I can get anything more done before regular final exams at the end of the school year this May, but summer will be pretty open. More focus on this little area that they're in, and explanations will ensue.

Buttttt...I also wanted to mention some people that I love bunches, since I did hit the 100 review mark. There was one person in particular, their name something like Alyssameep I believe. I tried to find them in my reviews, as I'm certain that person was my very first reviewer. If not, my dearest Queen of Caspian's Heart is awesome. Both of you two are awesome for giving this fic a chance and early support. Then HalfBrachenDemon and Ash Ninja were those who gave awesome reviews and stuck to the fic. Also, who can forget PUTYOURCHIPMUNKON (love the name) for review number 100. Last but not least, everyone else who's reviewed deserves tons of cookies. I luff you all and won't drop this thing 'til the fat lady sings. Only school or marching band shall ever come between me and this fic!

I swear I'm done, lol. I don't own anything of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Alice was brought to her feet almost at once, the Hatter having had grabbed her arms and given her a tug. With that he began practically dragging her by her wrist off somewhere into the brush. Had she not come to her senses and sprinted behind him, she really would have been dragged on the ground. On her face, in fact. He zigged and zagged this way and that, the wind whishing in her ears, hair slapping her face. She thought briefly on how dreadful it would be to brush it all later! Leaves and twigs snapped under their feet and bugs rattled and hissed in their nighttime song. All around her was a blur of trees and leaves, the only thing stationary being the moon in the sky. How did he keep from running into a tree? Moreover, she hoped he'd know how to get back, as that might've been the only place for them to spend the night…

Of course, he was never the one to just slow down to a stop. Heavens, no. Just as before, the Hatter stopped dead in his tracks as if he'd run into a solid brick wall. This meant that Alice, having no clue at his intending to halt, simply couldn't stop her feet from moving. She quickly found herself pressed against his back, stumbling back. She very well would have fallen if the Hatter wasn't holding onto her firmly still.

She peered around him, still a little dizzy. He resumed, but was simply walking this time. A giant plum tree loomed over the pair. This one seemed not to be animate like most Underland vegetation, though it could have very well been asleep. Her wrist was released from his grasp as he advanced towards the tree. As tall as he was, he still had to get on the very tips of his toes to reach even the lowest branch. A large, succulent plum snapped off of the tree. He came over to her, needing to hold it with both hands due to its tremendous size.

"Oh, you must taste it! The Hare will use this to make his plum puddings, jellies, wines, and no other! Every one is sweeter than the last." His mouth seemed to water at the very mention of such things.

With both hands she took it from him, astounded at its weight. Surely it was at least fifteen pounds! Alice almost dropped it due to her surprise, though got her bearings shortly after. It was a lovely, rich purple under the moon and it glistened with dew drops. As she brought it to her mouth, the skin of the fruit was even heavenly. She bent her head down to take a bite out of the hulk of a fruit, the juice pouring out all over her face and hands.

"You got a splendid one, too! Look at how juicy it is! I'm so jealous that I'm going to get one myself," he proclaimed. He once again had to stretch to his very limit trying to obtain another gargantuan plum, biting greedily into it at once. Purplish clear liquid poured all over him as well and he cared very little of the mess he made. It tasted of perfection.

"Hatter, these…are so, so…unbelievably delicious! I would eat this every day rather than cake or candies!" It was the absolute truth, too. She ate it as amorously as an addict would partake in a drug. All that mattered was that she was eating the best food in her life, any sort of manners thrown out the window.

"As would I, but no one ever can." He said this rather sadly, but quickly took another bite into his plum.

She swallowed what she had been chewing, then looked to him confusedly. "Why not? If you find one, can't you just go back to it every day?"

"Ah, that is where the problem lies!" He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his coat. "Plum trees are crafty creatures. All day they run around, hiding and running away from we fellow plum-eaters. By the time night rolls around, the poor things are so tired that they just can't move an inch until daybreak. I tried to catch one a particular morning, but goodness, they are as fast as the devil!"

Alice took a nibble from her plum, going for some of the skin (which was sugary sweet). "Well, surely we can take a few with us? Maybe can one or two…"

"Splendid, splendid idea! I do think they would be good back-up food supplies, just in case this path decided to go on for some time…" He carefully set his half-eaten plum down on the wet grass, then went out on the task of reaching for and tearing down another plum or two.

"Hatter, how long do you think we'll be walking?" She licked her fingers which were coated in the sticky juice of the plum.

"Hmmm, how long…" Another plum snapped off of a branch. He set it down beside her. "Currently I think we have a day or two to go. The path veered off into the east, then went back towards the Duchess's cottage as far as I can tell."

Alice huffed. Another two days of trying to keep up with him! If he continued his break-neck pace, she'd have to speak up. She peeled some skin off, eating it separately for the moment. "How did you know the plum tree would be here tonight?"

He replied in a strained tone while reaching for a precariously high plum, "I didn't." His fingers twitched madly, trying to get some hold of the fruit.

She furrowed her eyebrows, not quite expecting such an answer. She dismissed it, anyway, as she noticed his efforts for the second fruit. Alice set her plum down beside the uneaten one, walking over to him. "You know, you could just lift me up and I could grab it for you."

He looked to her incredulously for a moment then grinned widely. "Clever girl!" With that he ceased his fruitless stretching and promptly picked her up by her lower torso. Alice let out a small sound of surprise, arms waving around a bit. His grip hadn't lessened though, and she felt that he wouldn't allow her to fall. With that, she turned her head upward and saw a lovely purple plum above her head. Her slender creamy arms stretched up to grab onto it and she tugged with quite a bit of effort. After a moment's exertion it finally snapped off, causing her to lose her balance once again.

He lowered her at once, bringing her down to the level of his face before he was to set her down. The plum was between his chest and hers, being the only separator between them. Upon noticing this, the Hatter quickly put her on her feet again, Alice having to hide her face in embarrassment. Without the plum…she was mortified at the thought. It would have been a very awkward two days…

"I, ah, suggest it's probably about time to head back to dear Miss Willow," he said suddenly, picking up his nearly devoured plum and the first uneaten one.

"Yes, I'm dreadfully tired," she replied at once, returning to her own fruit. She carried both by their thick stems, causing her to feel unbalanced due to the difference in weight of the two.

"My, I never thought of it, but when was the last time you got any rest, Alice? I scarcely thought you did ever sleep through that storm…" He was blessedly distracted from what had just happened, she thought in relief.

"No, I didn't. I was just lying in bed, thinking myself silly." She wasn't about to go off anywhere, so she stood still. Only the Hatter would know how to get back to the Weeping Willow.

Sure enough, he led the way again. He began talking of other fruits in Underland, from dragonfruits to strawmellons, until she lost any kind of concentration due to her fatigue. She remembered little else, only to find herself lying in the grass under the willow with the sun shining down upon her face through the leaves.

She put a hand over her face, trying to block out the sun from her groggy eyes. She squirmed a bit on the ground as she let out a yawn, making the grass rustle. Alice would have been quite pleased to stay and sleep for longer, but she wanted to get to their destination even more. She pushed herself up onto an arm, inhaling the smells of morning. The sweetness of the earth was mixed in with that of plums, making her tummy rumble for breakfast. Her gaze swept across the area for the Hatter, hoping he saved her partially-eaten plum.

* * *

"Looking for Mr. Hightopp, dearie?" she heard an old woman speak. Turning around, she saw that the Weeping Willow smiled down upon her, awake after a night of rest as well. "He went over there," she said, pointing with a thin branch, "with a few plums a while ago."

She curtsied. "Thank you very much." Alice hurried over in that direction, curious to see what he was doing with their plums. He hadn't gone far, really. Beside another shady tree he cut away at a plum, putting the bits and pieces into several glass jars, air-tight hinged lids on each.

Once her shadow passed over him, he turned his attention to her, smiling sunnily. "Good morning, Alice! I say, you fell asleep walking last night. Not only did I have to carry four plums, but you as well. Consider yourself lucky that I didn't drop you all in a heap in my utter exhaustion!"

She laughed at his dramatic speech. "I'm sure that I am. You saved my plum for me, I hope?"

"Of course, of course! I remember what a ravenous monster you were on an empty stomach last night. I shuddered at the thought of such a beast combined with a possible hate for mornings!" He shuddered. "More frightening than a wily Bandersnatch…"

She rolled her eyes, simply holding out her hands for her food. After setting his tools down, he pulled out a chewed-on plum and placed it in her hands. His hands then continued deftly on slicing up the monstrous fruit, coated in the sticky juice. She concluded that the plum's own juice would preserve it just as well as anything else could, with all that blasted, mouth-watering sugar…

"And in case you were wondering," he spoke suddenly, "I did in fact think of how I would explain Underland's current predicament." With that, he put the last hunks of plum into their jars, sealing each swiftly.

"Oh?"

"Are you quite ready for the road yet, Alice? I do say that it would be better suited for our journey, as it's dreadfully long…" He wiped his hands off on his coat again, not fond of the sticky feeling. The jars he put somewhere on his person, but she didn't pay enough attention to his actions while she took a moment to think.

"Do you have a hair brush that I could use, maybe…?" she inquired.

"Ah, yes, I do…" He peered inside some of his pockets, soon retrieving a comb of sorts. The Hatter pulled out a couple of tufts of orange hair that remained within it before handing it over to her.

Alice didn't really mind at the slightest. She was simply grateful to get the dreadful knots from her tangled hair. It was horrible what she let it go through, really. A storm with pouring rain and wind, running through the woods at a blinding pace, all of that plum juice… She yelped in pain trying to pull it through her tresses. It nearly made some tears well up in her eyes. Oh, how much they did _hurt!_

"Alice, might you need any help…?" he asked. He spotted several knots, and if things continued going as well as they were…

She pursed her lips. Alice dearly hoped he was as skilled at brushing hair as he was at making hats, otherwise she was in for quite an ordeal. Seeing as though she had nothing to lose, except maybe a handful of hair, she held the brush out to him and plopped down on the ground.

He took it from her, going down onto his knees behind her to attend to her long locks. Alice grabbed the grass dreadfully firmly, expecting at any moment to feel pain shoot through her scalp again. She remained in anticipation, however, just feeling the bristles of the brush slide over her skin and through her hair. A minute or two was all it took. She blinked, rather shocked.

"There we are! Now we may finally continue on our journey!" He quickly put the thing away back into his pocket, helping her up once more.

She ran her hands through her hair. How silky and soft it now was! It would've been something, though, had the brush transformed her hair into something similar to the Hatter's. Alice would have very well demanded that they trade hats so that she could hide her hair. That wasn't the case, however.

"So…" she started, now following the Hatter through the forest and back to the path, "you left off where the Red Queen took the Knave's life, and there was something about a Lion and a Unicorn…"

A heavy sigh came from his body, his light-heartedness dissipating. "Yes, the Lion and the Unicorn… The queen, lost, only continued farther and farther off to the boundaries of Underland, going to a place where no creature ever dared to travel and come back to tell the tale…"


	8. Chapter 8

Woo, another installation! I hope to buy the DVD soon, as I've been craving to reference it for ideas, characters, and all that good stuff. I nearly encountered a bad block here, too. I'll begin planning for the distant and not-so-distant future of this now before I really get in a rut. Oh, I also became a little annoyed by the fact that Alice in Wonderland was given a new category in movies. I'm reluctant to take it off of the book-area since it hadn't been there when I published this. Ah well.

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Very carefully Alice followed behind the Hatter, holding up her dress a bit and watching the ground with each tentative step. There were all sorts of nasty things that would either dirty it up or latch onto it if she didn't pay it any mind, and if she wanted it to last her entire journey then she had best take care of it. The Hatter was paying no concern to the ground, stalking through the woods with only the path and his narration on his mind.

"Well…" she said, stepping carefully over a fallen log, "why is it that people don't go to Underland's borders? What could be out there?"

He finally paused, pulling away some branches in their way. There it was, the pathway they had been journeying along. Alice was startled for a moment, having not paid attention to their progress in the woods to consider the thought of almost being to the path. Eagerly then she stepped out of the bushes and trees, the Hatter following. He walked past and she saw his gaze, fiery with a dark emotion very much like the one he held as he recited the poem of the Jabberwocky. She shivered.

He finally replied, voice murky with its Scottish brogue, "Simple. No one ever has returned."

She swallowed. How was it then that the Red Queen came back, presumably unscathed? "Do you know what it was that she found there?" An awful sort of tension filled the air, causing Alice to be very quiet.

"Well, only _she_ knows for sure what she saw…but there are rumors." The forest as they walked was becoming increasingly muddy. Alice wrinkled her nose in disgust, continuing to hold her dress off of the ground. "The most prevalent," he spoke, "are that she came upon a hideous, bloody field. But the blood had seeped into the ground from years that had past, leaving only rotten skeletons with garish, sunken eyes accompanied by their dead steeds. It was such a monumental scale, too, that she herself was nearly frightened out of her wits."

Alice had seen destruction and towns laid waste in Underland, but these images he spoke of… It wasn't as if they were fallen cards like what she had experienced on her tame battlefield, as it now seemed.

"Alas, she went on. Maybe, she thought, these wreakers of death would be close. She would never be able to show her face in Underland alone, without any protection, you see. Not after her horrible reign. The Red Queen feared the people, not her gracious sister. Sure enough, encamped on a hill a ways from the field, were two legends of Underland. The sorts of legends children tell late in the night to frighten one another."

Alice glances over to him, but only for a moment. "The Lion and the Unicorn."

"Right you are. Now, she would never have imagined the history that she shared with these merciless creatures. As soon as she stepped foot into their encampment, the pair immediately recognized the spawn of their age-old foe but she hadn't a clue."

Mist swirled around their feet. Alice looked ahead, now seeing a bubbling swamp before them. Putrid swamp water flowed over a narrow path that cut through it, only allowing people to travel one before the other. Green moss dangled limply from branches and bugs thrived. The Hatter, unaffected, went on. Alice coughed at the stench.

"As it was said by Absolem, these two forces fought the father of the Queens for control of Underland years and years ago. Clearly, the King won and forced the Lion and the Unicorn to the farthest corners of his realm, banished. He never really did defeat them…"

"Then…" Alice carefully stepped over a bubble, undoubtedly filled with stench, "why would they even help her? They must hate her family dreadfully so."

"Yes, they do…" He began treading to the rest of the path on some peculiar stones.

She furrowed her eyebrows, thoroughly confused. "Is that it? Is that all you know about them?"

He whipped around, eyes still molten. It nearly scared her out of her skin. "I know what they have done." With that he eyed her strangely before resuming going about his way. She scarcely had seen his face through his talk, though his eyes were always surveying their surroundings. "Atrocities that made Iracebeth's crimes look _childish_…"

Her voice was soft once more in her uncertainty. "Like what?"

"Hmph."

It was rather rude, she had to admit, though she wasn't about to try the Hatter's patience. She didn't dare ask him another question and it became painfully silent. Well, there was always to be squelches and other obscene sounds from the swamp, but nothing was said between the two. Then there was always with the trees, blocking any sort of light when they were going about their way. Alice couldn't tell if it was noon, afternoon, early morning, or what have you with all these trees. A plain, dusty field would almost be welcomed. She even thought that she could feel the swamp juices seeping into her shoes, a shiver traveling up her spine. Disgusting!

Was he even still angry? It wasn't as if she could tell, since all she could see was his back. As the minutes passed, which surely became hours, boredom reared its ugly head. On top of this, she felt thoroughly icky. Trudging through thick mud, swatting pesky bugs, pushing past putrid moss… A bath was soon at the top of her priority list. The question was, would it take getting to the Duchess's before she could even get one? This seemed increasingly likely.

But did she dare try to talk to him again? His moods were always shifting, so maybe he was in better spirits? She pondered what exactly could be used as a proper conversation starter, something that would elevate his spirits…

"Hatter, do you know what a platypus is?" she piped up, finally breaking the horrid silence.

"Plat-y-pus… Why, I haven't the faintest idea." She sighed in relief, hearing that his voice was normal again. "What kind of creature is it? Is it tasty?"

She laughed. "I don't think so. It lives in this place called Australia, and it is the most peculiar looking creature. It has the bill of a duck, has brown fur, black beady eyes, four duck flippers, and a beaver tail!"

"Oh, how splendid! It sounds adorable. How far away is Australia?"

"Too far, I'm afraid…" She bit her lip. "Oh, they lay eggs, too."

"I do wish I had a pet platypus. I would keep it in my hat." He paused, ceasing to walk as well. Alice noticed this before impact, luckily. "Look there! We're just about out of the swamp! I wasn't looking forward to a mud bed myself…"

He turned around, green eyes filled with glee. "Come on, come on!" The Hatter grasped her wrist, dashing straight for the swamp exit. She brought her arm over her eyes, the sudden light simply too much. Once her eyes could focus, the sight before her left her breathless.

Everywhere, as far as she could see, were daisies. All were the purest of white, small yellow suns nestled inside each and every one. Oh, and how wonderful they smelled! A gentle breeze tickled each flower, causing soft waves across the field and lifting the fragrance to her nose. She wanted to drink it in like a sweet wine and become drunk on it. While firmly planted where she stood in the soil, the Hatter meandered into the flowers, plucking a few that he fancied.

Alice was only awoken from her daze when the Hatter appeared before her, towering over her form and shadowing the sun. Smiling in glee, he stuck a flower in her hair and went elsewhere. Blinking several times, she turned to watch him only to find that he'd practically created a daisy wreath upon his hat. Goodness, he would be attracting butterflies…and dreadful bees.

Carefully, Alice treaded into the flowers herself, not wishing to crush a single one. She bent down, picking out the long-stemmed ones, and started tying them together. It wasn't terribly long until she had fashioned herself a long daisy necklace, going well down to her bellybutton. She placed it over her head, around her neck and was quite satisfied with herself. Now, she thought, she could smell these as they went along…until they wilted, that was. She was quite surprised that the flowers hadn't protested, as the only ones she knew of were perfectly animate.

"My, I never thought we'd cross through _here!_" the Hatter exclaimed, suddenly behind her. She gasped in surprise, turning around.

"You have to stop scaring me like that! You're never in one place for very long are you?"

He frowned. "Sorry. But, look what I did!" He held up his hands, each with a daisy ring.

Oh, she did try to stay upset. She was giving an expert stern look, if she did say so herself. After all, he always seemed to sprint ahead, he dragged her everywhere, he was always sneaking around… He sounded more like a misbehaving child than anything, really. Her "anger" didn't last very long. All it took was for her to meet his energetic face, eyes filled with excitement and maybe even some innocence, and she no longer could keep her frown. She was laughing again.

"Better, much better!" He began to look around, a hand on his chin in thought. "Well, now, which way to go… Our pathway sort of just delved into this field and I haven't the slightest idea which direction we're going, so…"

"Of course…" she mumbled to herself, laughter fading. "Well, what about that way?" She pointed her arm in some direction. "Wouldn't hurt, right? It'll get us somewhere, _and then_ we can figure out things."

"Excellent plan! I pray this doesn't set us back."

He was off again like a hound on the hunt. She sighed briefly, then dashed after him through the flowers. Her feet went as fast as she could carry herself and she became wildly unable to control them anymore. It was then, of course, that she lost her footing and ending up face-first into a clump of daisies. Alice had definitely tripped over something, and it had felt so large…

Before she even had a chance to look back and discover what had been in her way, the Hatter lifted her back onto her feet and began guiding her elsewhere. He wasn't going the way they had agreed, but rather in the complete opposite direction. It wasn't as if he was helping, she felt, but rather he was forcing her to go a certain direction. A small feeling of wrong entered her stomach.

"Why are we going this way?" she asked, forcing a sense of normalcy. How much she hoped he hadn't entered a dark place…

"It was, ah, the wrong direction. Yes. I noticed it very, very quickly. A river in the way, the…what was its name…the Woolloomooloo River!" He began going a bit faster and Alice could feel he was rather tense. "If we were to cross it, why, we'd be in the complete wrong side of Underland. It's a, er, divider, if you will."

She startled to try to wriggle out of his arms, finding it to be incredibly difficult. He was very strong, she discovered. It wasn't necessary, however, as soon they encountered another lump on the ground which caused them to both topple over. Luckily she was not pinned under his body, allowing her to crawl away to stand and observe what had been their hindrance. There, at the feet of the Hatter, was a person. He was putting his hands under him to push himself onto his knees in order to rise, unaware that she had taken notice of it. Timidly, she walked closer to it.

Undoubtedly it wasn't a living person, just lounging there. The eyes were gone, picked away by scavengers, leaving gaping, putrid holes. The skin was beginning to peel from the muscle and bone, discolored and rotten. She put a hand to her mouth in revulsion. The tattered clothes this person wore were thin and moved with the breeze, revealing other horrors underneath. They had surely encountered two of these things, but were there more…?

She caught sight of the Hatter's eyes for only but a moment. She knew at once he would subjugate her again in a desperate attempt to protect her, she guessed. Alice wouldn't be satisfied, though. She ran away, back to where the Hatter had seen whatever he had seen and whisked her off.

"Alice!" he shouted out. Was it worry she heard, or anger? It mattered little. What was so horrible that made him get the idea of forcing her to someplace else?

She certainly did find it after a good couple of seconds of running. They had been on some higher ground, it seemed, over another expansive field of those daisies. The difference, however, that this other field was abundant with not just flowers. It bloomed with innumerable dead and rotten corpses, blood gone and deep within the ground. Her legs felt weak. Were they, those flowers, tinted in some other color, something more sinister?

A hand touched her shoulder. Alice let out a terrified scream, mind swirling with thoughts of the dead before her, sure it was one of them. Looking up, she only saw the face of the Hatter. He was forlorn, but not enraged. He brought her close, feeling her trembling frame.

He was quiet, not wishing to break this kind of haunting silence. "I was hoping we wouldn't encounter the real Underland so soon… We were lucky in those woods, so sheltered…"

"Did we really have to-"

"Well, yes… But we can detour." He glanced back to the lower field. She simply nodded, face hidden.

The Hatter then turned them around, leaving the garish scene behind them. For once he kept at a slow, steady pace, Alice close at his side. She suddenly wasn't quite so mad that he insisted on being ahead anymore. She remained silent, unwilling to look down at the ground.


	9. Chapter 9

Wooo. New chapter and stuff. Yeah. I'm going to try to make myself do at least an update a week now, to keep myself from being lazy and stuff. As always, I adore the feedback. I need to map out further things I have planned, of course, and once I do so I'll determine exactly how long I think this fic might get. I'm not saying I want to cut it short or something or that it'll move at a snail's pace. In any case, I shall finish this. Feel free to nicely harass me if I take too long to update through messages or whatever, because I kind of like to be lazy, eh heh... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this slightly-longer chapter. :)

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Luck had finally been on their side. There hadn't been any more hindrances lying in the way, relieving Alice mightily. In addition, after another "leisurely" walk through the daisies they had somehow found their way back to the beloved dirt path. Both seemed to heave a sigh of relief. Moreover, there were no more trees, causing Alice's eyes to look skyward. Soft, white clouds lumbered across the blue, causing her thoughts to drift for but just one moment. Not a raincloud in sight.

A soft wind blew past, teasing her by ruffling her dress and tossing her hair about. The daisy necklace went into her face and she grabbed a hold of it, slightly peeved. She examined her prior creation, but wrinkled her nose after a moment, leaving it off to the side of the path. She didn't care to look at any daisies for a while. Tall grass surrounded them instead, golden and rustling.

She looked to the Hatter who seemed to have already discarded his flowers; she hadn't noticed when. Eventually, after they had exited the field, Alice separated from his side. He didn't dart ahead as she had expected. She glanced over occasionally to observe his demeanor. It changed very little, but the part that confused her so was that it was so hard to read. Alice thought he would've surely been terribly solemn still, maybe even slightly paranoid, but she was unable to see through him to any degree.

Alice took in a full breath of clean air, then finally spoke. "Hatter, do you know how far away we might be from the Duchess's?"

He focused his attention to her almost at once, a bit surprised. They hadn't spoken in the longest time, he had rather drifted out of reality, it seemed. "How far?"

"Are you feeling better…?"

He furrowed his eyebrows together. "_Me?_ The question is, _are you?_"

"Yes, yes of course," she responded at once. "It's far behind us."

"Well…we're at the edge of the Golden Plains… I suppose early tomorrow morning as long as it continues to be smooth sailing…" His eyes lit up slightly, bringing his hands to his mouth. "Smooth sailing!"

A bit of a weight seemed to lift from Alice. It was quite disturbing to have the cheeriest of the duo silent for so terribly long; she had nearly felt like screaming.

"I propose an activity that we may partake in while walking," he spoke again. "Games are excellent distracters, don't you agree?" The Hatter looked over to Alice to judge her reaction to his proposition. His suit was a turquoise sort of color, much lighter than it had been previously. His eyes were tinted with slight anxiety, hoping that his idea wouldn't be shot down.

Alice, still walking beside him, toyed with her dress. "What kind of a game?"

"Oh, you know, one very much like the one from yesterday. You did enjoy it, didn't you?"

"Yes, of course," she replied. She was highly curious at his desire to do this. The majority of the day he'd been in a terribly dark place. It had left her unnerved, though it began to lift gradually now.

"Well, I shall start then." The Hatter promptly grabbed a stalk of the grain, shortening it and then playing with its seed-laden end. For a moment Alice thought he'd forgotten what he had been doing due to his intense concentration on the plant. After a pregnant pause, he suddenly asked, "What's your favorite kind of tea?"

Once he had finally answered, Alice hadn't quite prepared herself. She processed the thought for a moment, replying, "Chamomile."

His lips curved upward. "A lovely tea to have before falling asleep. I'm partial to Darjeeling myself."

"Why, I haven't heard of any tea by that name. Is it of Underland, maybe?" Alice asked.

"Actually, it is not." He spun the wheat between two fingers as he rubbed them against each other. "Had we reached China, we would have found some in India, the West Bengal area to be exact. An Oolong variety. Very floral."

She blinked, quite surprised at his knowledge. "How did you come to know about these kinds of tea?"

He shrugged. "On my search in England, I'd stop by teashops and whatnot. Most of the time I was disappointed in the stock, but I occasionally came across illegal imports… Jasmine, now_ that_ was an impressive one!" His eyes gleamed at the memory.

Alice smirked at this. She always forgot that he was mischievous from time to time. "My turn."

"But of course!"

She put a finger over her lips with a bit of flair, feeling rather frivolous now. He was transfixed on her face but she took little notice. "Hatter," she stated, mockingly proper, "where is your favorite place in the world, and what is it?"

He frowned. "I see what you're doing, trying to pull the wool over my eyes! One question at a time, Alice."

She huffed in slight annoyance. "So be it. What is your favorite place in the world?"

"In _that_ case," he started…then never really continued. The Hatter actually became quite cross-eyed, having not actually formulated an answer in his mind yet. Alice giggled. "Stop that! This takes some serious, serious thinking!" Alice pressed her lips tightly together, not wishing to taunt him about his "thinking face" anymore…well, she did, but she allowed him to resume.

"I've got it!" He clapped his hands together, pleased with himself. "This place…is a place where there is lots of glorious sunlight. There's beautiful blue lakes; two of them, actually. It always smells of spring-time and there are always flowers in bloom. The grass is soft and fragrant, too. Ah…" he paused, thinking of this place in his mind more, drawing more details from his memory. "Oh, it's warm, but not hot. You know, the kind of warm that makes your eyes droop and mind fuzzy. And…the water, in those lakes I was talking about, has little streams that feed into them. The streams have smooth stones, and the water rushes over them like soft laugher."

Alice had stopped walking, though wasn't fully aware that she had. The Hatter remained stationary, too, but was lost in his own wonderful place, far-off. Her eyes were becoming distant as his were, trying to reach this lovely land that smelled of spring-time.

"There's never any sadness there and you always feel secure. It's as if there was a wall, a hidden wall, which keeps all sorts of monstrosities out. No one calls you names. Birds sing sweet songs. And yet…"

Alice became tense, a little anxious. What sort of flaw could there be, what could be wrong with such a wondrous place? What a horrid phrase! _"And yet…"_ was probably one of the most torturous things you could say! The Hatter finally came back to where they were, his eyes finding Alice's. She felt as everything was paused, holding its breath. What _was_ it?

"There's something missing, oddly. Despite all of those glorious things, that missing thing makes it noticeable empty, you know?" He sighed. "Ah well. I'll leave it at that."

Alice breathed in, supplying her lungs with oxygen at long last. How could such a place exist, she wondered? He described what seemed to be a utopia. Her mind spun with the ghostly fragrances of lilies and roses, of lumbering white clouds, of the sound of water _laughing_… Oh, but where could it be? She stored that question for later use.

"That, that sounds lovely," she managed to stay, but not without difficulty.

He nodded, feet firm on the ground again and continuing forward. Alice caught up, at his side again. "Dearest Alice, I do think it's _my_ turn."

She nodded in response, readying herself.

"Have you ever gone horseback riding?"

Alice was almost surprised at the second simple question. She had expected more, but she wasn't about to protest. "No, of course not. It isn't proper for a lady, after all…especially if you do and choose not to go side-saddle…" she mumbled. She wanted to do a lot of things proper ladies shouldn't, but then there was her stern mother and English society. Ugh.

The Hatter looked at her as if she'd sprouted two heads. "What?" Alice asked suddenly upon noticing.

"That's nonsense! Stuff and nonsense, I say," he stated, rather perturbed. "You should be able to do as you please, Alice. Once you accept that other people are utter, well, twits and ignoramuses…or is it ignorami?" He tilted his head, debating it. "Anyway, once you accept that fact, everything is far more bearable."

She laughed after he'd finished, astounded partially because of the sense he made…and because he knew what an ignoramus was. There was certainly more than met the eye, despite his eccentricities. Her stomach hurt straight afterward and her head felt light. It was if his sole goal was to keep her in stitches, which she certainly didn't mind.

"I'll keep that in mind, Hatter," she finally replied. "Perhaps someday I'll ride a horse."

"It's a sort of euphoric freedom, on the back of a horse," he mused. "But I digress. Are you quite ready for a break, perhaps? My feet are becoming sore."

Once again, that kind of statement from the Hatter she wasn't able to comprehend at once. Had he ever given her a rest other than a sleeping spot? "Yes, please!"

"Right then." He stopped again, peering around and trying to see over the tall wheat. "Ah, there we are! If we cut through _here_," he said whilst pointing, "then we'll come upon a little shack. Maybe it was for the little farmer that worked these fields, but he certainly hasn't been around in a while. Who knows what could be in there…"

A house! Maybe there'd be a nice, comfy chair or couch… She was delighted at the thought, suddenly unable to keep still. She was about to ask for his lead, but he had already started off, leaving Alice to follow after once more. It didn't cross her mind now to stray ahead of him.

It wasn't long until she lost sight of him, of course, but she managed to push herself through the wheat and into a tidy little clearing. A tiny house came into view with quaint shutters on the windows, chimney, and well off some way away. She would have to bend over to fit inside, and she scarcely thought the Hatter would even fit his shoulders through the doorway.

"Ah, well, I'll let you explore the house," he stated, clearly on the same train of thought. "I'll go over and get some fresh water from the well, maybe see what else is around. We needn't much if we do get to the Duchess's when I think we will, but one never knows!"

She hardly had time to agree with him before he'd gone off somewhere as if he'd begun chasing a squirrel. His attention span was something to be questioned, she thought to herself. With that, though, she began to try to wriggle through the doorway into the house. Luckily her frame was small enough to allow this without scraping her skin. Once fully in the house, she evidently had knocked something over, causing a small puff of ash to go into the air when it came into contact with the inside of the fireplace. She sneezed and coughed, eyes watering a bit. How dreadfully stupid of her! Once it had all settled, though, she began looking about the little home.

It felt as though she were in a doll house. That was her immediate reaction. Little plates on a small table, little wooden chairs surrounding it. She scarcely thought you could fit a regular-sized muffin on a single dinner plate. The entire couch could maybe be big enough for her to sit on. Maybe. Even if she did fit, she ran the risk of bumping her head on the ceiling and the couch collapsing. That would certainly be embarrassing to explain… She used a finger or two to look into the cupboards, finding that they were simply filled with cobwebs. It was altogether abandoned and for some time, just as the Hatter had said. It was adorable, yes, but ultimately useless. She sighed. Now she'd have to try and get herself out, which would probably pose to be more of a challenge as she didn't have much wiggle room.

Slowly and very, very carefully she began to back out of the small abode. Her legs got out well enough, but her hips met some resistance at first. After a few seconds of pushing and exasperated grunts, she managed to get her lower torso freed and out of the house, allowing her upper body to return outside with relative ease. How thankful she was that she wasn't claustrophobic!

Alice figured she hadn't been in there for but ten minutes or so and the Hatter would surely be still wandering about. Maybe she could look around the area herself. Had there been wrong with it, he surely would have alerted her not to wander off, wouldn't he? Stiffly she stood back up, brushing off her dress. Carefully Alice tip-toed around through the wheat around the tiny house, seeing what else the property had to offer. She might find some crops that had survived on their own, maybe, or some left-behind possessions of some sort.

It wasn't long until she heard a voice while creeping through the wheat field. Of course she was alarmed, but only initially. It was strikingly familiar, and she had to laugh at herself inwardly. The voice was the Hatter's, apparently talking to no one but himself. She stayed completely motionless, straining to hear what he was saying. She had missed the beginning of whatever it was, but nevertheless she listened.

"_I have not seen thy sunny face,  
Nor heard thy silver laughter;  
In thy young life's hereafter–  
Enough that now wilt not fail  
To listen to my fairy-tale."_

He was turning the wheel of the well, trying to bring up a bucket of water with the aged parts.

"_A tale began in other days,  
When summer suns were glowing–"_

The Hatter let out a startled sound, the pulley system having failed him. The bucket spilled its contents back into the bottom of the well, causing him to utter some words that she couldn't quite catch. Did she dare linger and hear for the rest, and risk maybe being found out? It wasn't as if she was listening to something she wasn't, was she?

She tried peering through the wheat, trying to get a glimpse of what he was doing. Unfortunately, he had his back turned. He had a frown upon his face, thoughts troubled. Alice knew little of this, due to her poor vantage point. He continued his poem, what it was about or from she didn't know entirely or for certain.

"…_For "happy summer days" gone by.  
And vanish'd summer glory–"_

Confusion crept into Alice. He'd skipped around in whatever poem he was reciting to himself, she noted. She certainly enjoyed reading and analyzing poetry herself (as if her mother would let her do anything outdoors). He'd completely started in the middle of a stanza, she could tell. It didn't follow the previous pattern at all. ABABCC, the rhyme scheme should've been, but all he'd said were the second AB lines… Why had he chosen to skip to those two lines?

On his second attempt he did in fact manage to get some water from the well. He had a canteen of sorts on his person and he carefully poured the bucket's contents into the small mouth of the canteen. Had Alice tried this feat, she surely would've made a mess, but he completed the task quickly and with relative ease.

Before she even knew it, he seemed on his way back to the small home that she'd previously gotten herself stuck. Alice gasped. If he were to discover she'd gone off somewhere, he'd naturally ask where… If he knew of her spying he might become livid, for all she knew. She hadn't a clue what significance his poem had, as she didn't catch sight of his face.

Quickly, she sprinted through the wheat and back to the miniature house. Somehow before he rounded the corner of the house and reached the front, she plopped onto the dusty front lawn heaving breaths of air. He looked at her strangely, the young woman huffing and puffing on the ground.

"Alice, what heavens have you been up to? Practicing your push-ups, maybe? I prefer sit-ups myself."

She laughed, hoping she showed no outward signs of nervousness. "I got terribly stuck in that little house. It took everything I had to pull myself out."

"Silly girl. You're normal size right now, you know. I do realize most of the time you were here you certainly weren't, but…"

She stood again, putting her hands on her hips. Her chest still heaved a bit, her breathing not quite normal yet. Heavens, she was out of shape.

"I'm fine now, though." Alice peered up at the sky. The sun was getting lower again, but there was still daylight. Sometime in the afternoon, maybe? "So, I'm assuming that we're off again?"

"Yes, of course." The Hatter began stalking through the wheat again, Alice trailing close behind.

Something was not quite right, she noted to herself. He appeared to be trying his best at every opportunity to distract and amuse her, it seemed. For once she thought he was hiding some kind of emotion which was certainly an abnormality. Had she ever not been able to know what he felt, what he might be thinking of? Sure, she had been on edge the entire trip so far. She assumed it was Underland's altered state, but perhaps that was not entirely so.


	10. Chapter 10

Whew. It's been a little while (longer than I'd wanted) and I finally got this chapter finished. Hurrah! I had a really weird little block here for a while. I'd bring up the document, which I had a page of already, and just sit there and have drool drip out of my mouth or something. Weird, no? Anyway, this is shorter than I normally upload BUT it more or less sets you up for 11. Moreover, you get to read the whole poem, yay! I forgot to mention its origins earlier. It is indeed Carroll's work, and it's the intro for _Through the Looking Glass. _Be sure to analyze it yourself and see what the Hatter's going at with it so that you can compare to next time. :)

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

The farmer's cottage had been but a brief stop and it hadn't been long until they were on that path yet again. True, Alice counted her blessings when the scenery changed, but the monotony of the journey was grating. The Hatter would, once in a great while, suggest some sort of game or topic but this soon had become strained. Thinking back, always it seemed that the Hatter was in a sense shielding her left and right, straying from situations or nasty subjects. Then there was that dreadful silence! Before her most recent return to Underland, she had never known him to stay so quiet for so incredibly long. She had seen some of what had occurred, but surely it didn't get worse…? This made her stomach uneasy.

The grain reflected the brilliance of the growing twilight, tinted with reds, purples, and blues. Alice was rather distracted at the sight, losing herself in the ethereal spectrum. The Hatter promptly stopped her in her tracks, however, a pale hand firm on her shoulder. She had to blink several times before she brought her gaze up to him.

"It's starting to get dark, Alice," he stated plainly. "We're going to have to find shelter again, you see…"

"Oh, right. Of course." She nodded in confirmation. The grain just continued to stretch on, though. She'd heard of farmers in America and how they had fields like this that seemed so endless and looked so plain. How could someone stand to spend their life among grain, she wondered? "Well, any cleverly-named creatures or places close?"

The Hatter looked at her strangely for a short moment before looking around at their surroundings. It was the same sort of contemplation he'd had when they sought shelter in the forest. She waited patiently now, though, mostly assured that he knew what he was doing. His knowledge of the land was impressive, she had to admit. All she could see was the grain and nothing more. She blamed aristocratic society for her hopelessness in survival situations.

Sure enough, the Hatter began to delve into the grain to their left. He went wordlessly, a bloodhound hot on the trail and eyes ablaze with a peculiar sort of concentration. Alice went close behind, her hand trailing across the long stalks. They seemed a bit parched, soon to wither.

Their journey was rather short and Alice found herself in an open area, free of crops. A wooden building, normal-sized for once, stood before them. It appeared a little rickety maybe but any sort of shelter would surely be better than sleeping among the wheat.

"It's a stable," the Hatter announced, startling Alice a bit. It was as if she'd forgotten he could speak at all. "There aren't any animals there. I suspect they followed the people here, wherever they went off to."

Alice nodded a bit. She wasn't particularly tired, though, and they still had some daylight to burn. Should she ask the Hatter if he wasn't well? The possibility of invoking his rage crossed her mind thereafter, making her swallow. For brief moments while they had gone about their way he'd been thoroughly jubilant, yes…

The Hatter took her pondering as hesitation. "I'll go in first and see if it's suitable."

'_Safe, rather…'_ Alice thought to herself. She crossed her arms across her chest, feeling a faint chill in the air. Night was slowly creeping upon them.

He simply walked up to the stable, opening one of its wobbling doors wide and then stepping inside. The faint light that came from the tippy-top of the sun gave just barely enough light, saving him from wandering in murky darkness. He glanced in each stall, the charade quite uneventful. Just old hay, maybe some spider webs, the occasional field mouse. He beckoned Alice inside, searching for a lamp of some kind.

"No horses?" she asked quietly, peering into a stall.

"None." Sure enough, he found an oil lamp. He turned the little knob, producing a flame. He avoided her gaze, going to a large hay bale. After placing the lamp on an iron hook, he sat down upon the bale and rubbed his temples.

Alice chewed her lip a bit in thought. Once again, there was no way that she was going to ask him outright if he was fine, what was wrong, or any of that nonsense. There would be such a flurry of intense emotions that it would surely make her head spin. She rubbed her arms, still feeling the chill from the outside.

She then found that his gaze was upon her, causing Alice to stiffen just slightly. He frowned. "Are you feeling too cold, Alice?"

Alice let out a breath of air, relieved. At least he was not completely aloof. There had been a sort of fragile tension in the air. "Yes, a little."

"In that case, I wish to let you borrow my jacket." He carefully set it upon her small shoulders, barely touching her at all. It was if his fingers recoiled, not wishing to brush against her clothes or skin. This exchange was brief, however, and he steadily retreated to his hay bale. He didn't return his gaze to her.

The flames of the lamp flickered across his face strangely. With a light sense of caution Alice walked closer to his form. She sat silently across from him on the mostly dirt-covered ground. Small weeds poked up here and there. She toyed with them, putting them from the earth and peeling off leaves.

"Hatter, something seems wrong with you…" she said, hesitant. Alice had decided that she had better get her word in before he could. "For most of the time you've been very quiet and…unreadable. Is there something about Underland that you haven't told me, or-"

Abruptly he stood and then simply strode out of the stables and into the night. She balked, but only for a moment. Alice was soon hot on his trail, worry pouncing on her like a starved lion. She had thought he was going fast when they were in the forest, but this…this was unbelievable. Maybe the flat terrain or the intense desire to get away aided him, she wasn't sure though. Her heart beat madly in her chest. The Hatter knew the land better than she ever would. What if he took some sort cut, tricked her into going the wrong way? She swallowed heavily.

In, out. In, out. Her lungs brought in air greedily and then forced it out. She had lost sight of his bright hair but the crushed grain led her way. The stars were finally in the sky again, as bright as ever, but these things mattered little to her. Alice barely knew if she was running for mere minutes or a good hour. Just as she thought she would surely pass out and collapse in the middle of an extensive wheat field, she found herself in a familiar location. The small farmer's cottage.

It was still cold but the wind had settled, creating an eerie calm. She now remembered the garment she was wearing; the Hatter's jacket. He was here, she knew. The trail had stopped here, and no place else. She entered the little clearing with trepidation, her blue eyes wide and frightful. The whole scene was now nightmarish, shadows crawling on the ground and nipping at her shoes. No, no… It was just the lack of light playing tricks on her, she reasoned. Just a childish fear of the dark. Nothing more.

She heard quiet murmurs. They were frustrated, angry… Goodness, was she _trembling?_ Alice ignored all of her mind and body's warnings to simply bolt back to the stables and wait for him to come back (if he did…) and began silently walking towards the voice. She felt the soft, grainy soil swish beneath her shoes. It accompanied the drum of her still-pounding heart. The words were still unintelligible, but she strained to make sense of them.

Her breathing paused. There stood the Hatter, vehemently pacing beside the well. She heard only occasional words that made sense, while the others all ran together and became something even _he_ surely didn't understand. Well, she could either speak up or let him notice her on his own. Alice concluded that maybe the safest route was initiating conversation on her terms. She swallowed hard, then took a shaky breath. She hadn't rightfully thought of _what_ to say, but she spoke nevertheless.

"Hatter."

He snapped his head to stare at her, eyes the size of saucers in the moonlight. Something about them frightened her.

"Recite the whole poem to me. Please."

The Hatter's mouth opened, surely about to shout something in protest. His words dried up before they hit his lips. He frowned and adverted his gaze to a spot of dirt beside him. His fists clenched, then relaxed. Clenched. His body was tense, astoundingly so. A harsh voice, but soft and muted, drifted from him.

"_Child of pure unclouded brow  
And dreaming eyes of wonder!  
Though time be fleet, and I and thou  
Are half a life asunder,  
Thy loving smile will surely hail  
The love-gift of fairy-tale."_

Some words he fought to speak, feeling poison on his tongue. Alice held her arms close again, trying to steady her body.

"_I have not seen thy sunny face,  
Nor heard thy silver laughter;  
No thought of me shall find a place  
In thy young life's thereafter–  
Enough that now thou wilt not fail  
To listen to my fairy-tale._

_A tale begun in other days,  
When summer suns were glowing–  
A simple chime, that served to time  
The rhythm of our rowing–  
Whose echoes live in memory yet.  
Though envious years would say "forget."_

_Come, hearken then, ere voice of dread,  
With bitter tidings laden,  
Shall summon to unwelcome bed  
A melancholy maiden!  
We are but older children, dear.  
Who fret to find out bedtime near._

_Without, the frost, the blinding snow,  
The storm-wind's moody madness–  
Within, the firelight's ruddy glow  
And childhood's nest of gladness,  
The magic words shall hold thee fast:  
Thou shalt not heed the raving blast._

_And though the shadow of a sigh  
May tremble through the story,  
For "happy summer days" gone by,  
And vanish'd summer glory–  
It shall not touch with breath of bale,  
The pleasance of our fairy-tale."_

He looked again to her with widened eyes, his mouth still open. She saw now,_ he_ was the one terrified out of his wits. The words that tumbled from his dry lips latched to her mind. Alice clutched the jacket closer to her. Tea smells, leather… What…did it all mean?

"Alice…" he croaked. The narrative had drained him. "I'm afraid…that I have been not entirely truthful. If I could explain…?"


	11. Chapter 11

Another weekly update, yay! Anywho, this is quite interesting in the fact that I finished this at 3 in the morning. Yep. I usually become nocturnal during the summer months. The Hatter's explanation of the poem is naturally sketchy, but in the future I may supply you guys with a more thorough analysis that goes with the story. It'll be later, though, as I don't want to give out a "spoiler" of sorts. I did like hearing what others thought of the poem, though. Some _may_ be pretty close to the truth, but I won't say who just yet. ;) Fun stuff here, on a separate note. I love my reviewers dearly, as if you guys didn't know that.

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Very carefully, as if it pained him, the Hatter lowered himself down to the ground to sit. His back rested against the stone wall of the wall and it felt very cool and soggy, causing him to shiver. During this time he became very quiet, his eyes not meeting Alice's. His long legs were drawn toward his chest, arms and head resting upon his knees. It wasn't until he beckoned her over by patting the earth beside him that Alice dared to tread to him. Even then she shakily sat sideways a foot or so away. She was about to take off the jacket and return it when he suddenly shook his head.

He sighed and removed his ornate top hat; it was placed beside him with care. He ran his worn fingers through the mess of his hair, seeming to try to distract himself, if only for a moment. Before she even knew it, Alice found herself looking into the Hatter's eyes. Above all else, they looked weary and a bit frightened. Not a twinge of madness.

"I suppose I should start with the fact that the poem was of my creation…" His voice was but a whisper. The hushed tone only made her listen ever more closely. He fought hard to keep his gaze on her. "And, the subject matter was indeed you."

Alice gulped. Some lines flew back into her mind, but they were fuzzy and the words ran together.

"Allow me to…elaborate on a few choice lines." He bit his bottom lip in thought. "_'No thought of me shall find a place in thy young life's hereafter'_ and all the previous parts of the stanza, I suppose. You…haven't stayed here for long, it seems. After the last time…well, I had figured you would simply continue to grow and…forget."

His eyes flickered away only briefly. Alice leaned forward just slightly, but kept her distance.

"'_A tale began in other days when summer suns were glowing'_… Underland always seemed…more pleasant during your brief visits. Quarrels were settled, the tea parties, the unbirthdays… But, at the time those had been "other days" for certain." A small frown settled on his face. "_'We are but only children, dear, who fret to find our bedtime near.'_"

Her words came before she could control herself, the thought coming from memory. "I had always wanted to be an adult…"

He spoke as if he hadn't heard her. "Despite your desire for maturity and rationality… Death ultimately becomes everyone's boogeyman." She nodded, allowing him to continue on. "_'For "happy summer days" gone by and vanish'd summer glory'_… Summer seemed to have left as you did, Alice."

He was…leaving out pieces, she was certain. Her mind grabbed at half-remembered lines. She swallowed, trying to see past his vague explanations. Still in his narration he was leaving something out. "What about the last two lines? What were they?" Her voice was frail as well, barely louder than his had been.

The Hatter seemed to want to hesitate, but he recited the last couplet obediently. "_'It shall not touch with breath of bale the pleasance of our fairy-tale.'_"

"Well?" she asked. "Please explain that…and what it is this whole thing is supposed to be getting at. You're translating fragments, and despite the validity…I think you want to avoid the big picture altogether."

He averted his eyes now. The spoke to the ground, "I didn't want to forget. I knew you would probably for certain, but… The, ah, fairy-tale…term…arose when you last came." He paused. He spoke now with a hint of distress. "It vanished, with you. No more summer days, silver laughter, _dreaming eyes…!_"

She felt herself grasping for one of his shaking hands. They had a chill upon them. The Hatter was torn from his thoughts and his words vanished in a puff of smoke once more. Slowly he turned to face her, his bright green eyes wide. She had moved so close that he could smell the sweetness of her hair…

Alice then took advantage of the nighttime silence, but spoke in a gentle tone, "I did miss you when I woke up."

His other hand began to rise and reach toward her, frightened if it was even real at all. There she sat close to him, eyes large and blue under the luminous moon, skin soft, hair lustrous and fragrant… Oh, what a cruel dream this would be! His fingers were but inches from her smooth face when a deep, thundering sound passed through them. The Hatter immediately shirked away and stood up, looking around wildly.

Alice shook her head from the daze she had been in. She held the jacket ever more tightly, deciding to put her arms through the sleeves. The article of clothing hung on her like a blanket, but it shielded her from the cold. Her stomach was doing all sorts of gymnastics moves. One moment, it had flipped in anticipation and now…it felt heavy with fear. She cursed herself for not having something to defend herself with.

The Hatter stepped closer to her, straining to hear where the sound had originated from. Far off in the distance a great patch of wheat trembled with the movement of a large beast. Her breath hitched. The Hatter took one of her arms and covered her mouth with his other hand, taking her out of the clearing to weave through the grain once more. He wanted to silently evade whatever was out there. She followed him with no qualms.

He kept her close to his body, not willing to have her trailing behind. Alice nearly struggled to keep up with his long strides, though pressed on as adrenaline began to pulse through her body. For a moment, she thought she was surely imagining things, but…she could've sworn she felt the ground beneath her tremble every so often. The intensity only increased, causing her footing to become shaky. It was as if they were on the ship again…

Even in the dark she could see a dark, looming shadow pass over them. The severity of the Hatter's present grip nearly made her cry out in pain. His entire body was ready to act, wound up tightly with anxiety. It wasn't long before the beast made its presence known, pushing through the wheat that separated them. There before them, a good eight feet tall or so, was a horrendous, giant toad with thick, matted black hair and an enormous set of steer horns. A vicious and low croak came from the Bull Frog, the sound rumbling through the countryside. Its breath was putrid with death and swamp odors and acidic spit dribbled from its mouth, hissing as it hit the ground.

The Hatter scooped her up into his arms and bolted from the towering toad. It lumbered toward the fleeing pair with its long leaps, shaking the ground beneath it with each landing. Alice gripped his vest and shirt tightly, looking back. The Bull Frog's eyes burned with rage and were filled with an inky darkness, causing her blood to nearly run cold. How could they ever outrun such a determined behemoth? Or rather, how could the Hatter while carrying her?

Her lungs pumped oxygen throughout her body forcefully. She doubted that they were gaining any ground, though its jumps only seemed longer and it landed closer each and every time… Stalks of wheat crumpled under its immense weight, dust shooting into the air. If only there was some place where they could hide, where it couldn't possibly fit!

Oh, but who was she kidding? It would plow its way through the area and demolish any sort of hiding spot they could possibly procure. Her mind desperate sought more solutions but she soon saw before them an opening into another clearing. There, only but a few hundred feet away, was a massively deep ravine with torrential waters below. Her hands searched for the vial in her clothes at once, her fingers quickly feeling the familiar cool glass.

She brought it out into the warm night air, throwing the cork to the side at once. Alice took a swift drink, draining half of the liquid before forcing the rest to the Hatter's lips. He resisted and comprehended little, allowing the revolting drink to travel down his throat. Well, not that taste was the primary concern for him currently.

The Bull Frog, thinking that it had assured its meal, shot out its slimy, thick pink tongue. By this time the large quantity of the vial that the duo had drank took effect, causing them to shrink down into their clothes as the Hatter still sped on. The creature was unable to retract his tongue at this point due its velocity and sheer bulk. It could only stay planted where it was as its tongue reached the other side of the ravine, which had truthfully not been a great distance, sticking to a hulking boulder. Another rumbling croak was issued as it tried desperately to bring back its tongue. The rock was dragged closer and closer to the ledge of the other side by the sheer firm grip of the tongue's sticky coating of dangerous saliva, pebbles falling into the waters below. Too stupid to truly realize the ramifications of bringing its tongue back, it was soon plummeting down the ravine along with the boulder which had fallen over the ledge.

The Hatter stood in his pooled clothing, still covered by his undershirt despite its enormity. He found himself on his knees not even a moment later, Alice still held tightly in his arms. She found that she was in the strange little blue dress that she had found herself in during her previous trip to Underland. It hung on her loosely. After she had concluded her musings on their clothes, she carefully began to pry the Hatter's fingers from their death grip on her frame. He muttered a quick apology.

The Hatter then found that Alice had wrapped her arms around him, chanting _"thank you"_s as if she knew how to say nothing else. He blinked, thoroughly confused.

"You're the one who saved us, Alice," he stated, still dumbfounded.

She drew away and wiped a teary eye. "I couldn't have carried you and sprinted across the plains very well at all."

He frowned. "In any case…that was quick thinking. I would tip my hat to you, but it seems that we left it behind…"

Alice sighed. "Let's get it then, shall we?"

The Hatter nodded at this, following the beaten-down tracks of the horrific Bull Frog and carrying his now-enormous undershirt around him. Alice kept close, still feeling fear nip at her mind…though her hand felt strangely cold and empty.


	12. Chapter 12

Long time no update. My apologies. So I always put important dates down on my calendar in black sharpie, right? July was COVERED in sharpie, almost completely. Marching band season's in full swing and stuff, and I have more responsibilities as section leader. Right after band stuff, I promptly went on vacation. So I wrote bits and pieces of this chapter throughout these times. I rather liked this chapter, though. Spicing things up, yo.

Oh, I also distracted myself with working on a new fic. I discovered the comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac over this summer, and I fell in love. It's great fun, and I definitely recommend it (be warned of gore, language, etc). It's by the great Jhonen Vasquez. Anywho, I had a good time writing it. It's titled Serenada Schizophrana (like the Elfman composition). I feel like a review ho for ranting a little about this, but... XD Ah well. Just wanted to let you guys know what I was up to.

Also, I remember at some point someone inquired about the Red Queen. She will eventually make an appearance, so stay tuned!

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

There they were, in that dingy stable again. She wrapped herself up tightly in her too-big clothes, keeping out the nighttime chill. Both of them now could fit comfortably together in a single stall; they were in opposite corners, slightly nestled in the hay. Earlier she turned her nose up at such an idea, sleeping in horses' hay. Now, however, it only made her feel even warmer and cozier…even though it was sometimes faintly prickly. Alice lied down and sighed; her whole body ached. Her body craved sleep but her mind was still as restless as ever. The lamp which they had flickered several feet away but it was now dreadfully bright now that she was so small. How much she wished she could put it out! The only problem was that this would require her to get out of her warm cocoon and go into the cold air for a few moments. Warmth was more important, she concluded.

To her glee, it seemed that the Hatter was getting up from his sitting position to turn it off himself. He did so stiffly, each step labored. He, in truth, had ended up doing much more than she had. There had been the incident where he'd practically ran a mile whilst carrying her but he had gone out on a trek to get his hat back as well. Alice had protested at this, as she'd remembered how awkward and heavy the thing could be when quite tiny. Nevertheless, he had gone out and returned as weary as a zombie. Once the flame slowly died down, he went back to his own mound of hay and simply plopped down in exhaustion.

She swallowed a little and spoke quietly into the darkness. "Good night…"

The Hatter mumbled something into the hay. A tension that was heavy in her stomach lessened considerably. Alice then closed her eyes, desperately seeking sleep.

* * *

She was not so lucky. Alice sat bolt upright, gasping for air as if she had been drowning. Her body was slick and slimy with sweat, the night air causing her to shiver. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. She drew her legs to her chest in a desperate attempt to find some sort of calm. What…what had happened? She certainly didn't remember dreaming at all. One moment she was snug in her little corner of the stall, eyes drooping…and then she felt as if she'd been running a marathon. Gradually her breathing slowed, heartbeat following suit. Alice's eyes searched around in the inky dark. There, still sound asleep and _snoring_ lightly, was the Hatter. Oh, how she absolutely _envied_ him now.

Very carefully and quietly she stood from her comfy nest. He still did not stir. She let out a silent sigh of relief. Alice then tip-toed out of the dingy stall, set on getting out of the stable. She certainly wasn't in any mood to sleep anytime soon, and fresh air would surely be of some benefit. Her little trip to the outside ended up taking longer than expected. Each step was deliberate and calculated. She was in no mood to interact with the Hatter, especially at whatever hour it was. It probably didn't help much that with her decreased size her step-length became quite miniscule as well. Well, it had been too good to be true when she had been normal-sized for so long after arriving in Underland.

Once finally outside, she spotted a fairly good-sized rock and promptly sat upon it. It was smooth against her legs, almost like river rock. She covered her mouth in a yawn. How odd it was, she noticed. After sitting there quietly for a minute or so she simply heard nothing. No bugs, owls, or any sort of life. Even in a house where she wasn't exposed to wildlife, she'd hear things such as the large clock that kept time or wind from the outside. Frowning at the realization, she turned her gaze upward. Alice would only stay troubled. A mammoth blanket of clouds had arrived and not a single star twinkled in the nighttime sky. Her eyes widened. It was now as if she were in a silent, lightless cage.

Her head soon felt dizziness creep into it. Goodness, she had been holding her breath the entire time. She felt like a fool. Who said that there had to be noise all of the time, anyway? Clouds were perfectly normal, too… Despite her rationalizations, Alice wanted desperately to just be back in her warm corner of the horse stall, as silly as it sounded. Her bare feet hit the soft earth, ready to take a step forward and head back inside. As soon as that happened, though, her legs became paralyzed. A chill ran through her being, as if it were suddenly the middle of winter. Things were getting out of hand; surely it was nothing but an absurd, warped dream of some sort…

Alice carefully drew in another deep breath, seeing as though she was neglecting that important activity. It was not until this particular point would she experience the most maddening and horrific sensation. She felt behind her a looming, terrible presence that set every nerve on high-alert. Whatever it was, she could even discern its eyes boring into her back, or maybe her head. This wasn't a kindly old woman or a lost traveler, but something…much more sinister, nefarious. Despite all protest from her reason, Alice soon began turning ever so slowly and deliberately to face it.

Whatever "it" was.

Smoldering, garish yellow eyes. They were empty. No, they were more than that. A void. Nothing reflected in those eyes.

Her mouth was stuffed with cotton. An eternity it seemed before she could pull herself from the pull of that horrendous gaze. What she saw was perhaps equally as unpleasant.

It was as horribly black as the starless sky. Some would say it looked like a horse, she imagined. It hadn't the soft, warm lips of gentle horses but serrated, bone-like extrusions from its garish flesh. Its mane hung down in a string-like manner. Though its bones tried to protrude towards the creature's flesh, the edges were indistinct, fuzzy… A haze almost surrounded the creature, making it seem like a specter. Its rancid breath proved otherwise. She hadn't a clue what to place on that stench, it was-

The beast stepped forward, smoke dark around its hooves. They were cloven, but cracked and oozing with something dark. No, she wouldn't get trapped in those eyes again. They wanted to pull her in and trap her. She was small now and weak and it loomed over her.

A grating screech came from its open jaws. She could feel herself recoil, but not at the volume. It echoed in her head, clawing around and shredding her self-control. Though gangly, she was certain that she wouldn't last seconds. Despite the stable but feet behind her and the Hatter a shout away, this was no longer her realm.

Briefly she considered the entire scenario to be but a dream. An expected response to recent trauma. Some sort of symbolic nonsense, maybe. But dear lord, that sound still rattled within her and tore at her resolve and rationale. Her legs were turning to gelatin.

Hot breath came in a gust against her face along with _that smell._ Her stomach lurched, wanting desperately to dispel whatever was left inside. All over, every pore of her being felt sullied. It was then that she became trapped once more.

In those eyes she could see nothing.

* * *

Alice had her blankets wrapped around her securely. She lied there, rather still. Gradually day time had tip-toed into the stables, warming the earth again. She still felt cold, unbearably so. Shivering, she drew a portion of cloth up to her chin. Her eyes felt watery and laden with the desire to sleep; Alice's mind was just beyond restless. She had counted sheep until she grew sick of the charade, and now her opportunities for rest were at an end. Relieved as she was that it was practically morning something felt askew.

Her thoughts drifted elsewhere, trying to busy herself with _something_. For one, she now recognized the fact that her stomach began to rumble once more. Her meals now were so sporadic and it was apparent that her body did not enjoy this too terribly much. Thirst tore at the lining of her throat. Had they ever collected any water? The Hatter had gone off to the well and had used-

The well. Heavens, how could she have forgotten about that? He had been so verbal then it had stunned her, perhaps as much as the peculiar poem had. He had held a fear in his eyes, deep down. Then she, she had grabbed for his hand? She remembered little of what he had said then, but when his hand had moved to her cheek… Alice could feel her face begin to become a bit warm. What would have happened had the Bull Frog monstrosity not come? Would she have had any more answers and perhaps… She sighed.

She almost feared going back to sleep. After the…incident of the night prior, things had simply…blacked out. One moment she was ensnared by the creature's gaze, and the next she was back in her sleeping corner. No in between. Had such a thing even occurred? The Hatter began to stir.

He yawned most audibly, tearing her from her musings. Her reddened, sleepless eyes shifted over to his waking form.

The Hatter stood soon after, bending over to pop his stiff back. Releasing yet another yawn he dug around for a comb, which was now much larger in size. Had she any rest, she would've considered it incredibly comical. He circled the enormous object, trying to find some way to use it effectively. It was then that he caught sight of weary blue eyes framed by sheets.

He took a moment to clear his throat. "Oh, um…good morning. Sleep well?" He was quite visibly still nervous.

Sighing, Alice pushed herself up onto one of her elbows. She rubbed one of her aching eyes with the heel of her hand. "I 'spose."

A smile twitched at his lips. "Oh, good. We're just a few hours away from the Duchess's, I assure you!"

The Hatter had gone off to gather their things together in his section of the stall. For whatever reason, some things were separated from the rest. He darted about, picking up items, inspecting them briefly, then set them in their respective piles. Alice weakly stood to better watch the outlandish activity. Her hand immediately went to steady herself on the wall, a bout of dizziness coming upon her suddenly. She shook the feeling off, hoping that he wouldn't be distracted by it. She just hadn't slept well, was all…

Once fairly better, Alice inquired, "What exactly are you doing?"

He almost tripped and fell, so absorbed in his work that he'd focused on nothing else. "Oh, yes, well I was making two sets of things. _Things That Are Silly To Try And Lug To The Dutchess's In Our Size That We Will Return For Later_ as well as _Stuff We Might Need To Get To The Dutchess's That Really Aren't All That Much Of A Bother To Carry_. I imagine we'll be able to get back to normal size upon arriving, you see." He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Oh, that seems sensible enough…"

The Hatter tilted his head to the side, his excited organizing-face fading into one of concern. "My, you're subdued today. Are you sick, Alice?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not. I didn't sleep so well; might've been the wood flooring…" He still looked at her apprehensively. Alice frowned. "I'm perfectly fine, Hatter."

He had shirked away at her gaze at once. "Well, in that case we really _should _get going. Our company has been in waiting for far too long, I think. Now, if you wish to take something of the _Stuff We Might Need To Get To The Dutchess's That Really Aren't All That Much Of A Bother To Carry_, there's those things, that…"

She tuned him out at this point in time. Her mind was far too tired to focus on one thing for too long, and he was droning on and on. Recognizing which pile he was gesturing to, Alice began to walk toward it in order to gather what she could. As soon as she made her first step, the only thing which she could see was black all around her.


	13. Chapter 13

I'm back! *confetti and streamers* School and stuff, you know. Anyway, due to my long absence, I bring you a much longer chapter of goodness! With an interesting plot development, too! Anyway, most everyone who had a story in the _Alice in Wonderland_ book section that had a story to do with the Burton filmed moved to the aptly named _Alice in Wonderland, 2010_ section, sooo...I gave in and conformed to it. Ah well. I'd like feedback, since I haven't heard from you lovely people in a while. Suggestions and comments are always welcomed.

I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

_it was black, black everywhere. the sky, the ground, the plants. her hands were translucent and whispy they moved too slowly perhaps. a blur behind them as they moved. so __**cold**__. ice water in her veins. and that smell, that smell lingered and turned the ground black and infertile. a haze a smoke seemed to have snaked around her feet, eating at her flesh. a thousand little bugs burrowing into her skin, crawling on her nerves and chewing the lining of her organs. her throat felt raw, bloodied, unable to make a sound. alice's eyes looked around but there was nothing. somewhat low, soft at first. louder, and louder, and louder that horrid __**shriek**__. blinding pain rippling. she held her hands on her ears. the sound went straight through, almost echoing off each muscle fiber and shred of white bone. drowning in her own body, any air was blocked from her lungs. those__**eyes**__were  
_

She gasped for breath. Alice's heart was probably beating roughly a thousand times per minute, creating a dull pain in her chest. Immediately she wrapped her arms around the afflicted area, letting out a soft whimper. Apparently the back of her head also was throbbing, as if a metal pole hit her there squarely. Were her feet touching the ground? No…

A voice, maybe? Someone was speaking to her. It was barely distinguishable, as if someone tried talking from across the room during a particularly noisy party. Greedily she drew in another large breath of oxygen. The agony lessened, if only somewhat.

Her eyes struggled to open; things had still been black. Now, though, it was incredibly bright. Alice whimpered, only managing to have her eyes open a sliver. Orange. Lots of it, in fact. Her head was pounding with what would more than likely be a massive migraine. She groaned at the thought of it. If only he would be the slightest bit more quiet and subdued…

"Alice? _Alice?_" A hand started patting her cheek, an attempt to maybe have her open her eyes. "Please wake up, Alice…" Desperation snuck into his voice, she noticed. It frightened her.

Another groan came from her lips. It shocked her at what an effort it was to simply _open her eyes_. The sun was unrelenting with how absurdly bright it was. If she hadn't been raised to be a lady she surely would've cursed like a lower-class working woman. Maybe if she tried speaking instead he would quiet down, if only just a little (she prayed)…

"Hatter, what's going on…?" Her throat was also thoroughly sore now, she noticed. Would it ever end? Hopefully he had sufficient hearing and caught her meek utterance.

A sigh of relief. "Oh, I'm so glad you've awakened! You were screaming dreadfully in your sleep, and you had even stopped _breathing_." A short pause. "Are you quite all right?"

Her body was slowly but surely becoming more aware to her surroundings. She was most certainly not on a floor, lying down, but she was warm. In fact, the Hatter sounded relatively close to her person. Lifting a limp arm, she moved it around blindly to find some sort of surface. Instead of something hard and sturdy, cloth met her fingers. Her left eye opened just a crack.

Large green eyes peered down at her curiously. "Alice?"

Her face was surely going through the entire spectrum of red by this point. She swallowed, finding the action to be laborious as well. He, however, paid little notice and still waited for a proper answer. Both bushy eyebrows were at a peculiar angle.

"Yes?" she mumbled.

"Oh, thank heavens!" A large grin came across his face. "You strange girl, you were walking over towards our piles of doodads, and suddenly…you were on the floor! I scarcely caught you in time; you make have hurt your noggin." He eyed the said body part strangely. "Hm, well… Can you stand? Well, you're not a bother, Alice. Not at the slightest! In fact it wouldn't bother me at all, seeing as though we're but a stone's throw away from the Duchess's, at long last!"

She was the one to eye him for a moment. Had he said all of that in a single breath? But more importantly, had he said that they were almost at the Duchess's? With some effort she turned her body a bit, trapped in his arms, to view the direction in which the Hatter was facing. Not too far off the wooded path there sat a little thatched-roof cottage with billowing, black smoke. Her blue eyes widened.

"Oh, dear lord…" she whimpered. Alice turned to face the Hatter again. "Is that cottage on _fire?_"

He focused his gaze to the little abode in the distance, his nose crinkled in concentration. The Hatter chuckled lightly. "Silly Alice. That's just the plethora of pepper which the Duchess is so fond of. I assure you that you'll soon be able to validate this for yourself."

Sighing, she tried to feel if her legs were functional at all. Some muscles twitched and her toes wiggled, seeing as though she was barefoot now. Her shoes would surely dwarf her now, she thought. Maybe, just maybe she could manage to stand… He was able to take the hint, seeing as though her hands pushed away from his chest, and he set her down cautiously. Anxiety painted his face.

Well, she was standing. Alice drew in a breath, taking a tentative step forward. She wobbled slightly with her arms moving about in an attempt to find balance. The ground wasn't about to be acquainted with her face anytime soon, she concluded. With a pounding head and partially-focused vision, Alice resumed her wobbly steps with a close-by Hatter. He was exceedingly jumpy, seeming to think every movement she made would end in her toppling over. She frowned in annoyance.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know."

"Alice…" She waited for a comment to make her even more snappish, but it never came. He continued on, "What did you dream about? I imagine it was fairly frightening…"

Oh. That. As soon as she had regained consciousness, that had been forced far, far back into her thoughts. She struggled to bring back images of what she had seen then, whatever they were, but ceased her attempts very quickly. Her whole body shivered at the memory of the cold. What was the reason for such a tormenting vision? She certainly had had her fair share of bad or confusing dreams, which had certainly been her childhood ones of Wonderland, yet… Never, ever had they been of such a nefarious nature. Never had she felt as if she was drowning within her own skin.

"I don't remember," she replied abruptly. "It was probably something silly."

"Are you quite sure…?" he quietly ventured. The Hatter was becoming quite fearful of this new Alice. She was grumpy.

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay."

And so continued the longest, short walk to the little cottage before them. The tension was almost thick enough to cut with a knife and serve with bread. Or biscuits. Oh, how her stomach ached again! It was pathetic, really, at how accustomed she had become to eating at least three proper meals a day, all at the same specified times. All were mandatory, her tummy was never empty. She sighed, but tried not to dwell on the clawing inside of her. Surely the place would have some food, wouldn't it? Everyone was there, waiting for her, and surely they had _something _there to survive off of… Hopefully something better than bloody scones and tea. They were delightfully delicious, but hardly filling. She needed something satisfying, like a nice roast ham glazed with honey…

That day-dream certainly was short lived, though. Pepper assaulted her nose as soon as they were a mere five minutes from the place. Her frame was wracked with sneezes, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She turned to see if the Hatter was afflicted as she was, but he held a kerchief to his nose. His watery eyes looked to her with amusement.

"Care for one, Alice?" came the muffled inquiry.

Unable to even speak with such an inhalation – she shuddered at being _inside_ – she nodded her head with some difficulty. He quickly procured another from his person. She greedily snatched it and put it to her nose and mouth, inhaling the cleaner air. How revolting it already was!

Both of them with a profuse amount of tears running down their cheeks neared the path to the cottage's doorway. That was when Alice could acutely hear one of the home's occupants: the baby. And what a horribly grating sound it was. She clenched her teeth, as the wails certainly weren't beneficial to her torturous migraine. This house would kill her before any army could even find her whereabouts, and she hadn't even stepped foot in the door.

The Hatter bounded over to the wooden door which at the moment was towering over the duo. Despite the slim chance of him being heard over the cries of the infant, he banged forcefully on the door. Alice looked to the side at the bushes in the Duchess's garden. Rather than roses, which she had come accustomed to when at Underland's royalties' homes, there grew fragrant white Gardenias. They baffled her, really. Somehow they had avoided being coated in the pepper that spewed from the chimney and windows. Also, how in the blazes could they be smelled over the stench of that overpowering black spice? They certainly were something.

Eyes looked at her from in those bushes, terribly yellow. Her breath hitched in her throat. And then, just like that, the eyes were no more. Gone. Well, she was just being ridiculous. Alice hadn't gotten much sleep, after all, so her mind was just playing tricks on her… Suddenly, though, the gardenias weren't quite as inviting as they had been seconds ago. She turned back to look at the Hatter's efforts.

He wiped his forehead which had accumulated some sweat. Just as his fist was about to make contact with the wood of the door once more, it opened swiftly and left him stumbling. There had been quite a bit of momentum from that swing. Her eyes traveled upward to the figure in the doorway.

"Why, if it isn't Alice. You are_ the_ Alice this time again, aren't you?" a languid voice asked.

That was certainly enough to drastically change her mood.

"Chess?" she said, completely bewildered. There above her floated the blue-striped, grinning feline. He was enormous! Or rather, she was still outstandingly small. Oh, how she hoped there was some growing cake somewhere in the cottage…

"You still haven't answered my question, you strange girl." He rested on his paws, looking to her with a twinge of amusement.

The Hatter finally stepped before her, staring down the monstrous cat. "You know perfectly well that she's Alice! I made sure of it! If she weren't, would I even be gracing you with my presence, you irritable alley cat!"

"Hmph." He crossed his arms. "Very well. Excellent to see that you're both intact. We scarcely thought either of you would manage the journey, and yet here you are."

The Hatter scowled. "You sound as if you were expecting a lack of guests."

The Cheshire Cat sighed, his grin falling visibly. "Even an evening stroll has its risks nowadays, Tarrant, and you should be fully aware of this. I don't imagine that your trip was without incident."

An annoyed growl came from the Hatter, his fists at his sides. His eyes were becoming just slightly darker. "Just let us in already, before I resort to calling you names which our dear Alice shouldn't bear witness to."

The cat merely rolled his eyes. "Very well. The others will be pleased to see you, I'm sure."

The wails only continued to be more and more grating. Chess and the Hatter had ceased their stare-down, a rather peeved Hatter storming off to some corner of the room in search of something or another. A cloud of pepper floated above her which only encouraged the blonde to keep the kerchief tightly pressed against her face. The wood floor was horribly dingy with dirt and, you guessed it, pepper. Where were the rest of them, anyway?

A small white figure attached itself to her body within seconds. She could only utter a squeak of surprise as she was swirled around, her hair whipping in her face. A more hidden, primal part of her kind of wanted to fatally wound whoever was failing to help her pained body. The feeling was short lived, though, as she soon found the face of the hugger. Dearest Mallymkun.

"Oh, Alice! You're back! You're back!" she squealed in delight. "Thackary, Nivens, you dolts, do get in here! Alice has returned!"

* * *

Alice gratefully nibbled on the familiar pastry. Sitting in a cozy little bedroom she had her things strewn about on the floor. True to his word, the Hatter was able to get their things back. More importantly, she would have decent, though a bit dirty, clothes. The rabbit and the hare eagerly assisted the tiny man, seeing as though the pepper and the screams did little to help their heightened senses. That made her grateful, at least. She didn't endure as much as those poor creatures did. Sure enough she began to feel her whole body tingle as the bit of cake took effect.

The privacy of a room to herself was quickly appreciated. Once she sprung up to what she deemed her "normal" size, what she had been wearing was altogether very, very indecent. She blushed at the thought of eating the cake in front of the others. Hurriedly the clothes she had laid out were thrown on over her head.

The cottage was indeed unbearably tiny. She had barely gotten a glance of the Duchess, however, seeing as though the woman was immersed in a thick cloud of pepper. For some reason or another they had insisted that Alice was to be given the spare room, though the Duchess's seemed to be strictly off-limits. It was altogether plain, really. A simple reddish bedspread and white sheets, a square mirror, a nightstand, and a very empty closet. Cobwebs hung in the corners, the spiders long gone. Goodness, even those dreadful insects couldn't bear to live in the house! If that didn't speak volumes, she didn't know what did. But, just as the Hatter had said…who would even have the slightest inclination to look for them in a place such as this, as vile as it was? If they wanted safety, they had to rough it.

Well, dinner would be soon. Mallymkun had announced it shortly before Alice had departed to change. Her stomach gurgled in anticipation. She dearly hoped whatever it was that it was edible… The last decent meal she'd consumed was probably on the ship, and she no longer had any recollection of how long ago _that_ had been. Too long, in any case.

She opened the door to go back into the main room of the cottage, a living room, kitchen, and dining room all in one. That horrible smell assaulted her nose almost instantly. With any luck her nose would soon learn how to just shut down whenever in the residence. Alice wiped the moisture from her eyes, trying to look around and find the others. A furry paw grabbed her wrist and led her through the obstruction.

Now it seemed she was sitting in a sturdy wooden chair. Her eyes were still useless, though. Very cautiously her hands moved around, finding the table top and searching for a plate or maybe silverware of some sort. Ah, a spoon! Now she was getting somewhere.

"_Ack!_ Not again!" The March Hare's voice groaned. "If we have this bloody stew one more night…"

"Hush!" Someone more timid. Was it the White Rabbit? "Be thankful that the Duchess's cook was gracious enough to make this for us! Heaven knows how dangerous going out would be…"

"Bah!"

Her non-spoon-holding hand started to investigate her portion of the table further. Sure enough, there was a warm bowl before her as well. Undoubtedly it was the stew they were speaking of. Surely the Hare exaggerated, being fonder of his own cooking?

"Do start eating, Alice," she could hear Mallymkun say to her right. "They argue quite frequently now. It's not _so_ bad…" Well, that sounded promising. Alice swallowed before bringing a spoonful to her mouth.

Oh, how unbelievably _vile_ it was! It was if someone had given her a bowl of ground pepper and poured a couple drops of hot water in it and nothing more! Her mouth burned terribly and her stomach churned. Even though it was against all of her reasoning, she forced more spoonfuls down her throat to remedy her empty stomach. She was going to eat something, whether it killed her or not…which didn't seem too far-fetched at all now.

"Alice?" the Dormouse ventured timidly. The young woman clutched her stomach in pain.

Things were a bit fuzzy after that particular moment. Had she even sat at that table for five minutes? How humiliatingly pathetic! Dazed, she now lied in the bed she had been given upon arriving at the cottage. It didn't feel as though any of the stew had managed to stay there in her stomach. Alice sighed heavily. She had probably made a mess all over the woman's floor… Would she be dreadfully offended?

She ached all over. Who had brought her here? In fact, had the Hatter even been present at the table? There had been no indication that he was…or wasn't. His voice had been absent, after all. She hated being such a bother.

Before she even knew it she was asleep again.

* * *

_trapped again. her feet were soundly planted to the misty ground that almost wrapped around her ankles like snakes. that dread filled her, stabbing her in the heart mercilessly. alice's searched around madly. not alone. glowing green eyes floated behind the haze a few feet away or perhaps several miles. her hand reached out, and out. __**nothing**__ met her groping fingers, the eyes started to fade. Her heart traveled up to her throat, ba-bump, ba-bump, pounding and pounding and pounding the lining of her throat allowed no sound. she felt like dying._

_the ground shifted below. blue eyes looked down nothing there seemingly. a tug at her foot, it was so __**cold**__. fissures in the earth below her and all around there was no place to flee. a dark clawed hand, transparent like a specter, firmly held her leg and pulled down. more hands, more claws, piercing her skin. appendages, suffocating, grimy and slick and filled with something horrid. icy to the bone. green eyes watched from above, unblinking. no. ye-  
_

Sweat coated her body, her clothes a bit soaked. Immediately she drew the blankets up around her securely, her teeth chattering. Shallow little breaths were all she could manage and her heart was beating like mad again. The room was dark, but it wasn't due to any pepper clouds. A tiny little window revealed a waning moon and a scant amount of stars. It was deathly silent.

One thing was absolutely certain. She would not, could not, absolutely refused to try to get more rest. Memories of when she slept were fleeting, but when she would grasp one it burned and she had to release it at once. Whatever they were, she had no desire for them. Why on earth was she experiencing these horrid dreams in the first place?

Shakily her feet met the grimy floor. Her boots patiently sat there by her bed and she pulled them on, hardly bothering with completely lacing them. She wasn't going to venture off somewhere, but her little room felt so… Well, whatever it was, it wasn't a good feeling. It wasn't safe as a bedroom should be.

The floorboards creaked painfully. This could only be observed with the baby sound asleep. Off in a corner of the main room she spied a shadowed cradle. Several figures lounged about on furniture and the floor, but nowhere could she see any orange. Slightly troubled, Alice tip-toed towards the front door. With the cook resting, that dreaded pepper cloud failed to obscure her vision. Finally she was blessed with good fortune!

"And where might you be going, young miss?" a gravely female voice said from behind. Alice froze. "Oh, don't make a fuss. You can look at me, child."

Very, very slowly and deliberately Alice followed orders and turned to face the woman. There stood in the darkness of the cottage a stout, large-headed old lady with a curious frown on her face. Her nose was certainly something to behold and a large bun of grey hair sat upon the dome of her head. Perhaps she had some relation with the queens? Alice quickly diverted her gaze, realizing that she had been staring most rudely.

"Answer my question, if you would."

How stupid! She'd completely forgotten that she'd been asked a question by the person giving her lodging. Embarrassment brought a soft wave of pink to her face. "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry," she said quietly, hoping not to cause the others to stir from their sleep, "I'm just a bit restless and I thought I'd get some fresh air…"

Well, that was certainly smooth. Alice gulped, hoping she didn't offend the woman. Had she been in anyone else's home, she would have said the same, but in this case… She definitely should have shut up sooner. There was a short pause.

"Very well. You're this Alice girl I've heard of, correct?" The comment seemed to have been unnoticed or simply brushed off. She mentally sighed in relief.

"Yes, my Duchess."

The dark eyes of the aristocrat eyed her with scrutiny. "Hmm… I do hope you can do what they say that you are capable of. But I digress. Don't go out too far. I don't know exactly where Tarrant wandered off and without his supervision… Well, my dear, things are not entirely certain anymore."

Before Alice could even reply to such a comment, the woman had turned away and was attending to the sleeping babe. Not wishing to linger in the strange cottage any longer, Alice stepped outside into the cool night. The door closed without so much as a squeak. Her shoulders finally relaxed without the pressure of potentially waking the others.

Though the lingering smell of pepper remained, the gardenias were far more powerful at night. The bush made her slightly uneasy so Alice traveled elsewhere in the Duchess's property. There were petunias, snapdragons, geraniums, irises…and none of them animate! That was what seemed very strange indeed. In all of her past experiences she had had conversations with the flora of Underland, but this time she was unable to come upon a single chatty flower! Reluctantly she picked a tiny daffodil and carried it with her. It had only a yellow center with white surrounding it.

The back of the property was rather plain. Only a few plants grew here and none of them were flowering at all. However, there sat in the middle a worn wooden bench. Had the windows of the house displayed the back lawn, she would have felt rather self-conscious lounging upon it. However, this particular side of the cottage had none at all. Sighing, she took and seat and rubbed her weary eyes.

Where was the Hatter, anyway? Had he been absent at dinner? She had never been able to tell. There was so much smoke and she had felt positively awful. Not to mention when she had gotten sick who knows where… She was pleased that_ that_ incident hadn't been brought up by the Duchess. He had carried her all the way from the stables to the cottage, and after that… Her memories were flighty then. In fact, her migraine was threatening a round two. Maybe it was best not to dwell on that subject. He'd return soon, surely… After all, he'd be one to know about all the dangers lurking about. He wasn't that foolish, surely.

"Hungry?"

Alice nearly jumped out of her skin, letting out a frightened yelp. Her large blue eyes looked around frantically for whoever had come up on her unawares. There were so many shadows.

"It's only me, Alice," the voice said again, closer this time. Hands were placed upon her shoulders, causing her to flinch at the contact. Lifting her gaze she found a familiar set of green eyes. "Surely after that thing the Duchess called 'dinner' you can't be very satisfied."

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "You shouldn't creep up to me like that, Hatter!" Her voice was sharp, but with a hushed annoyance. "I thought you were… Oh, I don't know!"

Confused, he sat down beside her. He rummaged around in his jacket and quickly procured a familiar looking jar. It shone in the faint light that was provided by the partial moon and made her mouth water. She had completely forgotten about that!

"If you can't stomach this, then there definitely is something dreadfully wrong with you, Alice," he said, almost sternly.

At once she began to open the glass jar to get to its delicious contents. Her stomach groaned in excitement. The clasp came open with a soft sound and the suction seal released within mere seconds. Instead of bothering with any kind of silverware Alice simply tilted the jar to let some of the contents slide down into her mouth. Oh, it was still just as sweet! Some of the juice threatened to run down her chin.

"Goodness, you certainly were hungry. If I brought you an entire moose, I'm sure you'd be able to consume the entire thing without even batting an eye!" he stated, almost in pure wonder.

Now rather self-conscious, she lowered the jar and actually chewed some of the fruit in her mouth, opposed to swallowing them whole like a snake. The thought made her shiver. The Hatter, seeming to take this as a sign that she was cold, slid over closer to place an arm over her mostly-bare shoulders and arms. She nearly choked on the plum going down her throat.

"You need a proper jacket or coat, Alice," he remarked, seeming not to notice her reaction. The Hatter suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "Why is it that you aren't asleep in your bed?"

Her meek voice replied, "I couldn't sleep…"

"How unfortunate! Well, I'll accompany you, then. It's a rather nice night, save the chill…"

She sighed in relief. Her muscles gradually were able to relax and she soaked in the man's perpetual warmth. Both stayed silent for a while longer.

* * *

Ragged, uneven labored breaths. Her movements were stiff on the loose soil below her shoes, now in tatters along with her dress. The woman's curled hair hung limply all about her pale features which were contorted in pain. She held a broken arm close to her, wincing occasionally. Her body was bathed in red.


End file.
